Saturday, August 30, 2025
US Blocks Mahmoud Abbas from UN Go to as Allies Plan to Acknowledge Palestine
America mentioned on Friday that it’s going to not permit Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to journey to New York subsequent month for the United Nations (UN) Common Meeting. A number of US allies anticipate to acknowledge Palestine as a state on the gathering.
Visa Denials
➤ Abbas had deliberate to attend the annual UN Common Meeting at UN headquarters in Manhattan. He was additionally scheduled to hitch a summit hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the place Britain, France, Canada, and Australia have pledged to formally acknowledge Palestine as a state.
➤ Abbas’ workplace mentioned it was shocked by the US choice, claiming it violated the 1947 UN Headquarters Settlement. That settlement usually requires the US to permit entry for diplomats to attend UN occasions. Nevertheless, Washington says it may well deny visas based mostly on safety, extremism, or overseas coverage causes.
US Justification
■ The State Division mentioned the PA and PLO have did not reject extremism and have pushed for “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state as a substitute of direct negotiations.
■ “It’s in our nationwide safety pursuits to carry the PLO and PA accountable for not assembly their commitments and for undermining the possibilities of peace,” the division mentioned.
Worldwide Reactions
🔹 French Overseas Minister Jean-Noel Barrot declared on Saturday that entry to the UN Common Meeting ought to stay unrestricted. Talking at a gathering of EU overseas ministers in Denmark, he mentioned, “A UN Common Meeting assembly shouldn’t be topic to any restrictions on entry.”
🔹 UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that the UN will increase the visa situation with the US, citing the Headquarters Settlement between the UN and Washington.
🔹 This isn’t the primary time the US has blocked Palestinian leaders. In 1988, it refused a visa for PLO chief Yasser Arafat. Consequently, the UN Common Meeting was moved to Geneva that 12 months so Arafat may converse.
Background
• The US State Division additionally repeated its demand that the PA and PLO “persistently reject terrorism.” It referred to the Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered Israel’s ongoing warfare in Gaza.
• Israel applauded the US choice. Overseas Minister Gideon Saar mentioned it confirmed Washington’s agency place towards unilateral Palestinian recognition.
Recognition of Palestine
🔘 The US and Israel are sad that a number of Western allies plan to acknowledge a Palestinian state on the UN subsequent month. Their pledges replicate rising anger over Israel’s navy assault in Gaza, which has killed tens of hundreds and created a starvation disaster. It additionally displays frustration with Israeli settlement enlargement within the West Financial institution, thought of the core of a future Palestinian state.
🔘 Presently, 147 out of 193 UN member states acknowledge Palestine as a state. On the UN, Palestine holds observer standing, the identical because the Vatican.
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