EU urges US to reconsider visa denial to Palestinian UN assembly delegation

In short:

The European Union has urged the US to reconsider its decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly.

The Trump administration also denied visas for the Palestinian delegation last year.

What's next?

The UN General Assembly begins on Tuesday.

The European Union says it regrets Washington's decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly.

The US State Department said it was refusing to grant visas to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other members of his delegation ahead of next week's meeting in New York.

Spokesman for the EU's diplomatic service, Anouar El Anouni, said the EU had urged the US to rethink the move, referencing the White House's similar decision last year.

"In light of its existing headquarters agreements with the UN and its obligations as host state, we urge the United States for this decision to be reconsidered," Mr Anouni said.

US President Donald Trump's administration denied visas for the Palestinian delegation last year, forcing Mr Abbas — a regular at the UN General Assembly — to address the body by video.

The General Assembly voted 152-3 on Thursday for Mr Abbas to be able to appear virtually once again this year.

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed regret at Washington's decision, adding he was concerned about its impact "on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations".

As it stands, only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to attend the meeting, which begins on Tuesday.

US at odds with UN members recognising Palestinian state

The US and Israel have objected to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis.

The PA recently reformed this system, allocating welfare payments to families on a needs basis rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.

The State Department said Washington also opposed Palestinian "actions to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition".

They accused them of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks".

The US is at odds with the 142 UN member states that recognised a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year.

The decision to deny Mr Abbas a US entry visa comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has escalated in recent months in the West Bank.