RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office on Saturday urged the U.S. government to reinstate his visa, weeks before the United Nations annual meeting and an international conference about creating a Palestinian state.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the visas of President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials ahead of next month’s annual high-level session of the U.N. General Assembly, the State Department revealed on Friday. Abbas, who has traditionally led the Palestinian delegation, has addressed the General Assembly for many years.
“We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation,” Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday.
“We have been in contact since yesterday with Arab and foreign countries, especially those directly concerned with this issue. This effort will continue around the clock,” he said.
He called on other nations to pressure the Trump administration to reverse its decision, particularly those involved in organising the high-level conference on September 22 focused on reviving the Middle East two-state solution. The event is being co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot voiced concern over the restrictions placed on access to the U.N. General Assembly and stated that he plans to raise the matter with his European Union counterparts.
“The United Nations headquarters is a place of neutrality, a sanctuary dedicated to peace, where conflicts are resolved,” he said Saturday. “The UN General Assembly … cannot suffer any restrictions on access.”
Abu Rudeineh also urged an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and “escalation in the West Bank, because none of this will lead to any solution.”
“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) and PA (Palestinian Authority) accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the State Department said in a statement.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the visa revocations, calling them a breach of the United States’ obligations as the host nation of the United Nations. U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the organisation would seek clarification from the U.S. State Department regarding the decision.
