( Middle East Monitor ) – The United States is once again demonstrating that it is unfit to serve as host of the United Nations Headquarters. Reports that Washington may deny a visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for an upcoming UN encounter evoke bitter memories of 1988, when Yasser Arafat was prevented from entering New York to address the General Assembly. Then, the world body did the dignified thing: it simply shifted the session to Geneva, where Arafat spoke to overwhelming support. The message was clear—no single host state, however powerful, has the right to police the doors of an international institution meant to belong to all of humanity.
“If the United States cannot abide by the obligations of the host country, the time has come to reconsider New York as the seat of the UN” — Richard Falk, international law scholar
The principle has not changed since 1988. What has changed is that U.S. arrogance has only grown, even as its global legitimacy erodes. The UN Headquarters Agreement, signed in 1947, obligates the host country to grant visas to representatives of all member states “irrespective of the relations existing between the governments.” Any denial of Abbas’s entry would not only be a breach of that agreement, but an open act of sabotage against multilateralism itself. Washington knows this. Yet it persists, because power—not law—remains its compass.
A history of hostile gatekeeping
“The United Nations exists precisely to ensure that no nation, however powerful, can silence another.” — Dag Hammarskjöld (former UN Secretary-General)
The 1988 Geneva session is often forgotten, but it remains one of the most symbolic moments in UN history. By a vote of 154–2 (the United States and Israel isolated in opposition), the General Assembly rejected American interference and asserted its independence. Arafat then delivered a landmark speech in which he accepted the two-state framework and renounced terrorism—an overture the US pretended not to hear, because it undermined its manufactured image of the Palestinians as perpetual aggressors.
“The Headquarters Agreement requires the United States to permit access to the United Nations for representatives of all member states, regardless of political differences.” — UN Office of Legal Affairs, 1988
The lesson then is the lesson now: when the US abuses its host privileges, the international community must not beg—it must relocate, resist, and reject. Abbas, whether one supports his politics or not, is the recognized leader of the Palestinian Authority. Denying him a platform at the UN is not a strike against one man, but an insult to the Palestinian people and to the idea of universal representation.
International law broken by design
Under international law, the US is obliged to facilitate the functioning of the United Nations without obstruction. Article IV of the Headquarters Agreement makes this explicit. Even individuals from governments hostile to the US (Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela) must be admitted for UN business. The US has, however, repeatedly weaponized its visa authority. Iranian leaders have been harassed or restricted to a few blocks in Manhattan. Cuban diplomats have faced humiliation. Now, Palestinians are the latest target.
“To deny Palestinian leaders the floor of the United Nations is to deny the Palestinian people their humanity and their history.” — Noam Chomsky
This is not neutrality. It is utter imperial arrogance, a weaponization of geography, and petty wielding of power. It turns New York into a checkpoint, the UN into a hostage, and diplomacy into an American-owned franchise. The UN cannot function if its very host acts as gatekeeper, discriminator, and bully. If the US cannot uphold its obligations, the time has come to question whether the UN should continue to be headquartered in New York at all.
From Palestine to Venezuela: A pattern of meddling
This is not simply about Palestine. The US has wielded the same arrogance elsewhere—meddling in Venezuela’s sovereignty, sponsoring coups in Latin America, destroying Iraq under false pretences, and strangling Cuba through sanctions. The thread is clear: international law applies only when it serves US interests. When it doesn’t, Washington discards it.
That is why the Palestinian case must be situated in a century-long arc of US and European imperial meddling. Since World War I, Western powers have partitioned lands, installed pliant regimes, and backed colonial violence—from the carving up of the Middle East under Sykes-Picot, to the creation of Israel at Palestinian expense, to endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The denial of a visa may seem a minor bureaucratic act. But it represents the same contempt for self-determination and dignity that has killed millions.
The mask of democracy/imperial bullying
The US styles itself as the guardian of global democracy. In truth, it behaves like a cornered tiger: ferocious, desperate, fading. Its economic supremacy is challenged by China and the Global South. Its moral authority is shredded by its complicity in genocide in Gaza. Its domestic democracy is crumbling under racism, corporate capture, and political decay. What remains is raw power—military bases, financial blackmail, and vetoes at the Security Council.
“When one state abuses its role as host, it reveals the arrogance of empire, not the spirit of cooperation that the UN was created to embody.” — Boutros Boutros-Ghali (former UN Secretary-General)
That is why Washington lashes out at Palestinians. It cannot tolerate even symbolic resistance, because it exposes the fiction that the US is an impartial broker. Everyone knows the truth: America is Israel’s enabler, financier, and arms supplier. To expect neutrality is to expect the impossible.
The way forward
The international community must refuse to be complicit. If Abbas is denied entry, the General Assembly should immediately convene in Geneva or another neutral venue. This is not unprecedented. It is the only principled response. Anything less would legitimize American blackmail.
“UNO,” Digital.
More boldly, the UN must consider sanctions against Israel and suspension of its membership until it complies with international law. Israel has violated more UN resolutions than any other state in modern history. Yet it remains untouchable, shielded by US vetoes. Enough is enough. Global democracy cannot be held ransom by two rogue powers.
At the same time, civil society must act where governments hesitate. Boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) remain vital tools. If the U.N. is paralysed, people must take up the task of justice. Boycott U.S. corporations that bankroll wars. Shun Israeli institutions complicit in apartheid. Refuse normalization. This is the language empire understands—pressure, resistance, and non-cooperation.
A call to action
Let us be clear: this is not about protocol or visas. It is about whether the world will tolerate racist snobbery, imperial arrogance, and contempt for international law. It is about whether Palestinians will forever be silenced, or whether the world will insist that their voices be heard.
Middle East Monitor readers, the moment demands more than sympathy. It demands solidarity, outrage, and action. Spread the truth. Pressure your governments. Join boycotts. Refuse the arrogance of empire. The UN belongs to the world, not to Washington.
If the US and Israel humiliate the international community, then the international community must humiliate them back—with boycotts, suspensions, and a stripping away of their manufactured legitimacy. That is how fading powers are forced to retreat. That is how global democracy can begin to breathe again.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.
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The author, Ranjan Solomon from Goa, India, is a political commentator and human rights advocate with a longstanding commitment to cultural pluralism, interfaith harmony, and social justice. He works on the right of nations to define their own destinies free of hegemonic narratives. He can be contacted at ranjan.solomon@gmail.com.
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