U.S. Blocks Mahmoud Abbas from UN Amid Global Outcry

A storm of reactions has erupted following the U.S. decision to deny Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to travel to New York next month for the United Nations General Assembly, where Washington allies are expected to recognize Palestine as a state.

Abbas had planned not only to attend the General Assembly but also a separate meeting where the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Canada have pledged to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

Abbas’s spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, called on Washington to reconsider its decision.

“We urge the U.S. administration to revoke this decision, which violates international law, particularly the UN Headquarters Agreement with the United States, which forbids blocking any delegation’s access,” he told Reuters.

U.S. Response

A State Department official said the visa denial affects Abbas and roughly 80 other Palestinians from the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank.
Abbas’s office expressed shock at the visa decision, emphasizing that it breaches the UN’s “headquarters agreement.”

Under a 1947 United Nations Headquarters Agreement, the U.S. is generally obligated to allow foreign diplomats access to the UN in New York. However, Washington maintains it can refuse visas on grounds of security, extremism, or foreign policy concerns.

Strong International Reactions

European foreign ministers arriving at an EU meeting in Copenhagen on Saturday criticized the U.S. decision.

A UN General Assembly “cannot be subjected to any restriction on access,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney added that the EU should protest the decision “in the strongest terms.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also expressed support for Abbas in a phone call, describing the visa denial as “unfair” in a statement.

“Palestine has the right to have its voice heard at the United Nations and in all international forums,” Sánchez wrote on X.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization plans to discuss the issue with the U.S. State Department.

Source: Tovima.com