Palestinian UN ambassador withdraws General Assembly vice presidency bid after US pressure

Palestinian UN ambassador withdraws General Assembly vice presidency bid after US pressure Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour is withdrawing his bid for vice president of the  UN General Assembly  after the  US  threatened to revoke visas for the  Palestinian  delegation if he did not drop the bid, NPR reported. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the report said Lebanon's ambassador is taking Mansour's place after the Palestinian UN delegation relayed through an Arab country that Mansour will refrain from running for a vice presidential position for the next two years.  The spokesperson of the president of the UN General Assembly, La Neice Collins, confirmed the Palestinian delegation's withdrawal.  An internal US State Department cable on Tuesday had  instructed  its diplomats in Jerusalem to pressure Palestinian officials to drop the bid, claiming that his candidacy undermines US President Donald Trump's plans for  Gaza . Read more:  Palestinian UN ambassador withdraws General Assembly vice presidency bid after US pressure Riyad Mansour, the State of Palestine representative to the UN, attends a Security Council meeting on 24 November 2025 at UN headquarters in New York City (Spencer Platt / AFP)

Original source: Middle East Eye