The United States prevents Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas from attending the United Nations meeting in New York star-news.press/wp

The US State Department confirmed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been prevented from attending the United Nations General Assembly session in New York next month after he and 80 other Palestinian officials canceled.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and looking for “unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.”

The decision, which Israel welcomed, is unusual as the United States is expected to facilitate travel to officials from all countries that wish to visit the United Nations headquarters.

The ban is at a time when France is leading international efforts to recognize the status of Palestine in the session – a step that the Donald Trump administration opposed.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Red Mansour, had said earlier that, as head of her delegation, Abbas will attend the meeting of the heads of state and government in New York.

But a foreign ministry official said at a later time, Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians who will be affected by a decision to reject and cancel visas from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Rubio said that the Palestinian actors at the United Nations Mission in New York can attend meetings, according to United Nations headquarters agreement The document that regulates issues related to the United Nations operations in the United States.

However, it is unclear, if the United States is moving to deny or cancel the VISA visas in line with this document, which determines that the presence of foreign officials in New York will not hinder the United States, “regardless of relations” between their governments and the United States.

The Abbas office said that it is surprised by the visa decision, which “stands in a clear contradiction with international law and the agreement of the United Nations, especially since the state of Palestine is a member of the United Nations.” He urged the United States, unlike this step.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon welcomed Sair the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hamas runs the Gaza Strip for years, with its opponent FIFA, the official in the West Bank.

It is assumed that they are governed by the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas.

ABBAS is also responsible for PLO – the umbrella that represents the Palestinians in the international international. The Palestine Liberation Organization has had a United Nations observer position since 1974. It could participate in meetings but not vote on decisions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continuously rejected the idea of ​​a periodic-international formula for a long time To resolve decades -old Israeli conflict. It imagines that an independent Palestinian state be created alongside Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu says that recognition of a Palestinian state will be the clothes of “brutal Hamas terrorism”.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas -led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, where about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others took hostage.

More than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.

in Rubio said his announcement on Friday: “Before the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority are considered partners for peace, they must constantly restore terrorism – including the October 7 massacre – and end terrorism in education, as required under American law and as promised by the Palestine Liberation Organization.”

He said that they should also end efforts to overcome negotiations by following legal cases against Israel in international courts.

UN spokesman Stefan Dujarrik said that the United Nations will be discussed with the US State Department and hoped to resolve the case.

“It is important that all member states, permanent observers, are able to represent them, especially I think in this case, as we know, the meeting of the next countries that will be hosted by France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the beginning of GA.”

Regardless of France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it also announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the GA meeting next month.

The state of Palestine is currently being recognized by 147 UN member states 193.

But with no recognized borders, Israeli settlers control large parts of the West Bank – Illegal under international law – And calls for doing the same in Gaza, any recognition of a Palestinian state will not change much on the ground.