The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, expressed this Friday his regret over the decision of the authorities of the United States to deny the entry visa to the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmud Abbas. Due to this denial, the Palestinian leader will have to intervene remotely in the upcoming General Assembly of the UN, scheduled for next week in New York.
The highest official of the UN laments "deeply" that the State Department has chosen to "extend the sanctions" that block the granting of visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and to senior officials of the PA who intended to attend the meeting at the United Nations headquarters in the American city.
"The Secretary-General is concerned about the impact that this decision will have on the ability of the State of Palestine to fully participate in the work of the United Nations. The full participation of all delegations in the work of the Organization is essential for its proper functioning," his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, stated at a press conference, in which he urged the United States, as the "host country, to ensure the issuance of visas to all delegations, in accordance with the obligations that fall upon it under the Headquarters Agreement."
The Trump Administration defended its position by accusing Palestinian officials of "glorifying terrorism" and, in particular, the PLO of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists, as well as glorifying acts of terrorism and terrorists in public statements and school textbooks."
Furthermore, Washington has criticized both organizations for "taking actions to internationalize the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, even through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)," as well as for "trying to evade negotiations by seeking unilateral recognition," referring to Palestinian initiatives to bring Israeli officials before international judicial bodies for their actions.