The Senate approves Noroña's license for his "solidarity trip" to Palestine.

In an economic vote, the Senate approved a nine-day leave of absence for Morena member Gerardo Fernández Noroña for his "solidarity trip" to Palestine.

“Senator Gerardo Rodolfo Fernández Noroña is granted leave to step aside from his legislative duties from October 23 to November 2, 2025 ,” announced the president of the Board of Directors, Laura Itzel Castillo Juárez , after the vote.

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Prior to this, Fernández Noroña accused criticism of his visit to the Arab country of being a "cover-up" of the genocide taking place in that region.

"They're nice, they're justifying the genocide of the Palestinian people , that's the underlying issue (...) they're diverting the underlying issue, they're massacring the Palestinian people, it's a very serious matter, they're starving children, it's a tragedy . And they come up with trivialities," he stressed.

And in response to the press's claim that " the genocide won't stop if you go ," Fernández Noroña raised his voice, accusing the media of "scheming" and "masking" the situation by criticizing his trip.

"You're covering it up because what you want is for nothing to be done to shed light on the genocide. And if you think I'm not contributing anything by going, I respect that," he said.

At the same time, the former Senate president assured that the invitation was extended to him in a personal capacity , the flight will be paid for by the Qatari government , and the ground expenses will be covered by him and not with public funds, so, according to him, "it is not about political tourism."

“ No, I'm not going on vacation, gentlemen, no, I'm not going to have fun , no, I'm not going to engage in political tourism. I don't think Palestine is a place where you can tell me I'm engaging in political tourism right now . I don't think any of you might consider that irrelevant. That's your opinion. I think the solidarity I can express is important,” he commented.

This Tuesday, the former PT member announced that he will request leave from October 23 to November 2 to take a "solidarity trip" to Palestine , at the invitation of that country's government.

“ The leave I am going to request is for a defined period of time (…) leave starting on Thursday the 24th, I am leaving tomorrow night (October 22) for Palestine, and I will return on November 2. I am flying with the United Arab Emirates (…) The United Arab Emirates is paying for my plane ticket because of the solidarity I have shown with the people of Palestine ,” commented the Morena member.

Fernández Noroña said he could have not requested leave for the trip, but he is doing so "because it's the right thing to do" and because there is "absolute adherence to my legislative duties."

The former Senate president indicated that he declined to make the visit in August , although he had the opportunity, but now that he no longer heads the Upper House, and because the ceasefire has not been respected , he will travel to Palestine.

According to him, there is no political reason for his nine-day absence from legislative duties. He even boasted that he is doing well with his parliamentary group, which has supported him "in a loving way," and that he is "well with my fellow president, Claudia Sheinbaum ."

Regarding his activities, Fernández Noroña indicated that he will visit Palestinian government authorities , visit settlements, and first hold a meeting in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, but "he will spend most of his time in Palestine."

For his part, the former PT member doesn't fear reprisals and that the most he could face is the US government revoking his visa . He also emphasized that he's not a martyr and that he will be present wherever the Palestinian Authority takes him.

" It's a dangerous journey, and I'm no hero , no martyr. I love life. I have many things to do in this country, but I must not be indifferent to the terrible genocide that is happening to the Palestinian people," he commented.

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He criticized—without naming the Israeli government—that, despite the announcement of a peace plan and a ceasefire , the people who returned to their homes were deceived, once again.

"They're bombing them, they're killing children. There's not much I can do, but I shouldn't just stand idly by ; that would be cowardly," he said.

Despite the Morena party's arguments, the Responsibilities Act, the Senate Code of Ethics, and Morena's guidelines prohibit accepting gifts or trips financed by foreign governments.