WASHINGTON: The United States has barred Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from attending next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
A State Department official confirmed that Abbas and approximately eighty other Palestinian officials would be denied visas under this decision affecting members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority.
Abbas had planned to attend the annual high-level UN gathering where Britain, France, Australia and Canada have pledged to formally recognize Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinian leader’s office expressed astonishment at the visa denial, calling it a violation of the UN “headquarters agreement” which generally requires the US to allow access for foreign diplomats.
Several European foreign ministers arriving at an EU meeting in Copenhagen strongly criticised the American decision on Saturday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters that a UN General Assembly “cannot be subject to any restrictions on access.”
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares declared the US move “unacceptable” while Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris urged the EU to protest “in the strongest possible terms.”
The State Department justified its action by reiterating longstanding US and Israeli allegations that Palestinian authorities had failed to repudiate extremism while pursuing “unilateral recognition” of statehood.
Palestinian officials rejected these allegations, noting that decades of US-mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation or secure an independent Palestinian state.
The department stated that restricting access was necessary “to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that the world body would discuss the visa issue with American officials, recalling a similar 1988 incident when the US denied a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the State Department’s decision amid growing tensions with Western allies over their planned recognition of Palestinian statehood.
These recognition pledges reflect international frustration with Israel’s assault in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and triggered a starvation crisis, alongside anger over West Bank settlement expansion.
At least one hundred forty-seven of the one hundred ninety-three UN member states already recognize Palestinian statehood, though the US maintains that statehood must come through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. – Reuters
