French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Saturday that everyone should be allowed to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly, after the United States said it would block visas for Palestinian Authority officials.
“A UN General Assembly meeting should not face restrictions on access,” Barrot was quoted as saying. Several other European ministers supported France’s position, urging Washington to let the Palestinian delegation attend.
France Seeks Palestinian Statehood at UN Summit
The US decision comes at a delicate time, as France is pushing for the recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN summit in New York. It also highlights the Trump administration’s closer ties with Israel, which is currently fighting in Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority strongly criticized the move and called for it to be overturned, saying it violates international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, 89, had planned to attend the meeting. Once considered a partner by Washington, Abbas now finds himself increasingly isolated.
As host of the United Nations, the United States is generally not allowed to block entry for officials coming to attend UN sessions. But the Trump administration confirmed on Friday that it is denying and even revoking visas for members of both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) ahead of September’s UN General Assembly.
United States Had Revoked Visas for Palestinian Officials
It claimed that the decision is in the “national security interests” of the United States. A State Department statement accused the PA and PLO of failing to honor commitments, undermining peace efforts, and trying to “bypass negotiations” by turning to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) over Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. UN experts have described Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide.
The PA has only partial governing powers in the West Bank, while the PLO is the globally acknowledged body which represents Palestinians and their claim for statehood. The Trump administration has sanctioned them before, and accused Palestinian leaders of glorifying violence and blocking peace.
It was not clear which Palestinian officials would be affected, since Palestine, though a UN observer, usually sends large delegations to the General Assembly. Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said President Mahmoud Abbas, 89, still planned to attend next month’s UN summit, which includes a September 22 session on Palestinian rights.
Mansour added it was unclear how the visa restrictions might apply. The Palestinian presidency, in a statement via Wafa news agency, expressed “deep regret and astonishment” at the US decision.
