The US State Department announces on Friday 29, that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from Palestinian officials including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on September 26, 2024, called on the world to stop providing Israel with weapons and to “stop the genocide” in Gaza in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York (Footage: France 24)
Justifying the unprecedented move, the State Department announcement says, “It is in our national security interests to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.” Barring world leaders from attending the annual General Assembly high-level week violate US commitments to the UN,
Palestinian Authority expresses its “deep regret and astonishment” at the US decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials planning to attend next month’s UN General Assembly. Abbas’s office says the “decision stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, particularly since the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations.” Abbas’s office calls on the US to reconsider and reverse the move, “reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions and obligations toward peace.”
According to Hadash MK Ayman Odeh, “In the end, only Israel and the US, perhaps along with Micronesia, will stand alone on the international stage, trying to defy the will of the majority of the world’s nations. Trump’s decision to prevent the Palestinians from participating in the UN General Assembly is yet another direct attack on the international order. But it doesn’t really change anything: the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, just like any other people in the world. The whole world knows this and supports this fundamental right, and everyone who believes in justice and peace stands with the Palestinian people, now, more than ever.”
“Trump’s decision to ban Palestinians from the UN summit in New York is a full and direct attack on the UN and the international order. The US is an enemy of the Palestinian cause and is fully supportive of the genocidal settler Israeli government. The rest of the world, the UN, and all peace-loving peoples must resist this attack and stand by the Palestinian people. If it be – the UN conference should be held in Europe”, Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman agreed,
Also on Friday, foreign ministers from Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Iceland and Luxembourg have issued a joint statement strongly condemning the new Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and urging the far-right Israeli government to reconsider its decision. “This spiral of violence must end,” the statement read.
According to the ministers, the expansion of occupation army operations will risk the lives of the hostages “who cruelly remain at the hands of Hamas” and will cause the “intolerable deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians,” which they deem a “flagrant violation of international law.” They also expressed their “deepest concerns” regarding the construction of settlements in the West Bank.
“The international community will not remain silent in the face of human rights violations, and we will continue working intensively for peace,” they added. “We will continue supporting mediation efforts and we urge both sides to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement that will pave the way towards peace.” The ministers also called for the “immediate release of all hostages and the rapid and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout Gaza.”
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31222
