The USA will not allow her officials and diplomats Palestineincluding the leader of the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas, to attend the United Nations General Assembly next month in New York.
A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be influenced by the decision to reject and revoke a visa by members of the Palestinian liberation organization (OPA) and the Palestinian authority.
A source at the US Foreign Ministry said that, in addition to Abbas, the US has denied 80 other Palestinian officials.
In a statement, the ministry reiterated the long -term claims of the US and Israel that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) failed to renounce terrorism while pushing for a “unilateral recognition”.
Palestinian officials reject such allegations and say that decades of US -mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation and secure an independent Palestinian state.
In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the Trump government confirms its commitment not to reward terrorism and recall the visas of Palestinian officials ahead of the UN General Assembly,” said the US denying and recalling visas by members of the Palestinian organization. September.
“The Trump government was clear: it is in our national interest to consider the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority accountable for non -compliance with their commitments and to undermine the prospects for peace,” the statement said.
“Before the PLO and the Palestinian Authority can be regarded as partners for peace, they must consistently renounce terrorism- including the massacre of 7 October- and end the motivation of terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised.”
“The Palestinian Authority must also end its efforts to bypass the negotiations through international legal campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and efforts to ensure unilateral recognition of a possible Palestinian state.”
The announcement states that the US government believes that the actions of both the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (OPAP) “contributed substantially to Hamas’ refusal to release its hostages and the collapse of the cessation talks”.
Governments usually send large delegations to the assembly. Restrictions could lead to a reduction in Palestinian presence at a summit where Britain, France, Australia and Canada have been committed to formally recognize the state of Palestine.
Abbas will be blocked by UN General Assembly
Restrictions mean that Abbas will probably not be able to travel to New York to give a speech at the annual gathering, as he usually does.
Abbas’ office was surprised by the visa decision and argued that it was violating the UN’s “agreement”, which is generally obliged to allow foreign diplomats to access to the UN in New York. His office did not report whether his visa was recalled or rejected.
Abbas’ office called on the US government to re -examine and revoke its decision, “confirming the complete commitment of Palestine to international law, UN resolutions and obligations to peace”, adding that the US decision “is in the opposition”.
This move comes after the imposition of US sanctions on Palestinian officials and members of the Palestinian liberation of July, even when other Western forces are moving towards the recognition of the Palestinian state.
In its statement, the Foreign Ministry said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN would not be included in the restrictions. He did not further clarify what this means.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar thanked Trump for the “bold step” and for “stood by Israel again”, in a statement on social media.
UN ambassador Danny Danon said that this move showed “all over the world what it really means for moral clarity and deep commitment to security and peace”.
“This stable attitude is a leadership model – a model that the whole international community should embrace: zero tolerance for terrorism and zero rewards for violence,” he added.
Washington has stated that it can refuse visa for reasons of security, terrorism or foreign policy. The Foreign Ministry said the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN, which consists of officials who have a permanent headquarters there, would not be included in the restrictions.
Stephan Duzarik, a UN spokesman, said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the Foreign Ministry, “according to the UN headquarters between the UN and the US”.
The US also refused to issue a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1988. The UN General Assembly met that year in Geneva instead of New York so that it could discuss it.
The Foreign Ministry said it is demanding that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation (PLO) liberalization (PLO) “renounce terrorism”, including Hamas’ deadly attack in October 2023 that triggered the war.
In June, Abbas, the Palestinian president, wrote a letter to the French president, in which he condemned Hamas’ attack and demanded the liberation of the hostages that the terrorist organization had taken.
Palestine has been recognized as a state of 147 of 193 UN Member States. The Palestinians currently have an observer at the UN, as well as the Holy See (Vatican).
The US, the most powerful and powerful ally of Israel, has stated that a Palestinian state can only be established through immediate negotiations between Israel and Palestinians.