RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office on Saturday urged the U.S. government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa, weeks before he was meant to appear at the U.N.’s main annual meeting and an international conference about creating a Palestinian state.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded the visas of Abbas and 80 other officials ahead of next month’s annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, the State Department disclosed Friday.
Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years, and generally leads the Palestinian delegation.
“We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation," Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday.
“We have been in contact since yesterday with Arab and foreign countries, especially those directly concerned with this issue. This effort will continue around the clock," he said.
He urged other countries to put pressure on the Trump administration to reverse the decision, notably the countries that have organized a high-level conference on Sept. 22 about reviving efforts for a two-state solution for the Middle East. It is co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot protested restrictions on access to the U.N. General Assembly, and said he would discuss the issue with EU counterparts.
“The United Nations headquarters is a place of neutrality, a sanctuary dedicated to peace, where conflicts are resolved," he said Saturday. “The UN General Assembly … cannot suffer any restrictions on access.”
Abu Rudeineh also urged an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and "escalation in the West Bank, because none of this will lead to any solution.”
The move came as the Israeli military declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone. Israel says Gaza City remains a stronghold of Hamas.
The Trump administration has taken several steps to target Palestinians with visa restrictions.
“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) and PA (Palestinian Authority) accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the State Department said in a statement.
The Palestinian Authority denounced the visa withdrawals as a violation of U.S. commitments as the host country of the United Nations. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body would be seeking clarification from the State Department. ___
Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.
