The US State Department has refused to issue or has cancelled existing entry visas for members of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) who intended to attend the UN General Assembly session in New York in September. This was reported by The Washington Post.
According to the publication, the restrictive measures affected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and about 80 representatives of his government. The only exception was made for employees of the Permanent Mission of Palestine to the UN, who continue to perform their duties in New York. Abbas was previously expected to deliver a speech at the General Assembly meeting. In addition, during the session, a number of Western countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Australia, planned to officially announce their recognition of the State of Palestine, which gave the event special political significance.
The US State Department explained that the visa restrictions were aimed at holding Palestinian officials ‘accountable for failing to fulfil their obligations and undermining the prospects for the peace process.’ The White House added that such measures were intended to prevent the use of the American visa system by ‘individuals who may support terrorist activities.’
The decision provoked a negative reaction in Europe and international organisations. The European Union called on Washington to review the measures, noting that they contradict diplomatic practice. The office of the UN Secretary-General stated that it had only been informed of the situation through media reports and intended to investigate the circumstances.
