The European Union has urged the United States to reconsider its decision to deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials seeking to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The appeal came after Washington extended visa restrictions on officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization for a second consecutive year.
Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the EU’s diplomatic service, said the decision should be reconsidered in view of the United States’ agreements with the United Nations and its responsibilities as the organisation’s host country.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also expressed regret, warning that the restrictions could affect the ability of the State of Palestine to take part fully in the UN’s work.
The US Department of State said the sanctions were being extended because of what it described as the Palestinian leadership’s failure to reform and activities that undermined the prospects for peace.
Washington accused the Palestinian Authority of violating US law by pursuing international recognition of Palestinian statehood instead of relying on direct negotiations. It also cited the authority’s decision to take its dispute with Israel to international courts and its financial support for people whom the US and Israel describe as convicted attackers and their families.
Mahmoud Abbas to address UN by video
The dispute comes days after the General Assembly voted to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its upcoming 81st session through a prerecorded video.
His speech is expected to call for wider international recognition of Palestinian statehood and renewed momentum towards a two-state solution, following formal recognitions by the UK, France, Canada and other Western nations last year.
Abbas is also expected to refer to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the expansion of Israeli settlements and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the UN resolution, saying it represented a break with efforts to prevent Palestine taking part in the annual General Assembly session.
The source material also notes that no Israeli officials face equivalent US travel restrictions, despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
