EU Urges US Reconsider Palestinian UN Visa Ban

The European Union urged the United States to reconsider its second consecutive denial of entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and members of his delegation ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York. EU officials and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the decision could hinder the State of Palestine’s ability to participate fully in the organization’s work and conflicted with the United States’ obligations as the U.N. host country. The General Assembly voted 152–3 to allow Abbas to address the session through a prerecorded video, while only diplomats already accredited to the Palestinian mission are expected to attend in person. The U.S. State Department defended the restrictions by citing Palestinian leaders’ alleged failure to implement reforms, pursuit of international legal action and statehood recognition outside direct negotiations with Israel, and payments to families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed in the conflict.