EU Urges U.S. To Lift Visa Ban On Palestinian Delegation For UNGA In New York

EU urges visa reversal

The European Union urged the United States to reconsider its denial of visas for Palestinian Authority officials seeking to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying it regrets the decision for the second year running.

In a statement, EU diplomatic service spokesman Anouar El Anouni said, "In light of its existing headquarters agreements with the UN and its obligations as host state, we urge the United States for this decision to be reconsidered," as the UNGA voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address the body during the upcoming 81st session via a prerecorded statement.

The EU action came as the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret at Washington’s decision and said he was concerned about its impact "on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations".

The U.S. Department of State said it would prolong visa sanctions on officials of the PA and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, citing "their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace" and accusing the PA of violating U.S. law by bypassing direct negotiations to seek international recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Reporting for this sectionAl Jazeera

UNGA vote enables video

A UN General Assembly-approved resolution rejected the United States’ decision to bar the Palestinian delegation from participating in the General Assembly’s 81st session, with the vote recorded as 152 in favor and 3 against and 4 abstentions.

The resolution will allow President Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials to participate in UN meetings or conferences via video link during the coming year if they are barred from traveling to the United States, according to the Amad للإعلام account of the vote.

Tammy Ros, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told the General Assembly before the vote, "If the Palestinian Authority wants to be treated as a partner, it must stop supporting terrorism and stop using diplomatic theater as a substitute for serious governance."

Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour told the General Assembly that Palestinian leaders rejected and condemned the step taken by the United States, while the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the resolution and said it marked "a breaking of the attempt to prevent Palestine’s participation" in the UNGA’s annual session.

Reporting for this sectionAl Jazeera

Abbas’ participation and stakes

The UNGA vote and the resolution’s provisions were described as preventing a second consecutive year of blocked in-person participation, with the Amad للإعلام and Elmawkie.dz accounts saying the United States refused visas for Palestinian Authority officials to enter U.S. soil for meetings scheduled for next week in New York. Elmawkie.dz said the resolution rejects Washington’s decision as a "clear violation of the headquarters agreement" and called on the United States to reverse it, while also stating that President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech will be delivered at the scheduled time via the televised address.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the vote confirmed Palestine’s continued presence within the United Nations and stressed that attempts to block participation will not prevent conveying the voice of the Palestinian people to the international organization. In parallel, the Al Jazeera account said Abbas’s address this year is expected to push for international recognition of Palestinian statehood and revive momentum for a two-state solution, and it said the speech will also highlight the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza alongside the rapid growth of illegal Israeli settlements and settler pogroms across the occupied West Bank.

Reporting for this sectionElmawkie.dzAl Jazeera