EU urges US to lift travel ban on Palestinian delegation for UNGA meeting

The European Union has urged the United States to reverse its decision to deny visas to Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization officials seeking to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The UNGA will allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his address to the 81st session via a prerecorded video after member states approved the measure.

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EU urges US to lift travel ban on Palestinian delegation for UNGA meeting

Why It Matters

The dispute raises questions about the U.S. role as host state under UN headquarters agreements and the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in UN proceedings, a concern echoed by both the EU and the UN secretary-general. The visa restrictions and the allowance of a prerecorded speech reflect continuing diplomatic tensions over Palestinian engagement with international institutions.

Key Facts

UNGA decision: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may address the 81st session via a prerecorded statement
EU reaction: EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni urged the United States to reconsider visa denials citing US obligations as host state
US policy action: U.S. Department of State extended visa sanctions on PA officials and PLO members
U.S. rationale: State Department cited PA actions including seeking international recognition outside direct negotiations, taking disputes to international courts, and financial support for families of convicted attackers
UN Secretary-General: António Guterres expressed regret and concern about the impact on Palestine's ability to participate fully in UN work

The European Union has publicly called on the United States to reverse a decision barring certain Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) officials from obtaining U.S. visas to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. The appeal from the EU’s diplomatic service came after the UNGA approved a measure permitting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to deliver his address to the assembly’s 81st session via a prerecorded video.

Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the EU’s diplomatic service, framed the request in terms of U.S. obligations under existing headquarters agreements with the United Nations, urging Washington to reconsider the visa denials. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed regret about the U.S. decision and said he was concerned about how it could affect the State of Palestine’s ability to participate fully in UN activities.

The U.S. Department of State announced it would extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials. In its statement, the department said the measures respond to what it described as the PA’s failure to carry out reforms and actions that undermine prospects for peace, including seeking international recognition of statehood outside direct negotiations, taking disputes to international courts, and financially supporting people identified by the U.S. and Israel as convicted attackers and their families.

Palestinian officials and their supporters view the UNGA ruling as a way to preserve Palestine’s participation in the annual session. Palestinian authorities expect Abbas’s address to press for international recognition of Palestinian statehood, revive momentum toward a two-state solution following recent recognitions by several Western countries, and highlight humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the growth of Israeli settlements and settler violence in the occupied West Bank.