The Palestinian Authority Comments on Trump's Administration Preventing Mahmoud Abbas from Attending UN Meetings

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Palestinian National Authority expressed its rejection of the U.S. State Department's decision to extend restrictions on granting visas to Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in a statement on Thursday. The ministry stated that the authority views the decision as "an unjustified measure that contradicts efforts to restore trust, develop Palestinian-American relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability in the region," according to the official Palestinian news agency "Wafa."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Palestinian Authority emphasized in the statement that "the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian National Authority are committed to peace, to international legitimacy, and to the two-state solution based on the borders of June 4, 1967, and to living in security and peace alongside the State of Israel. They also reaffirm their rejection of violence and terrorism, and their adherence to international law and international legitimacy as the basis for addressing the conflict."

The ministry stressed that the Palestinian Authority "rejects the claim that the Palestinian people's recourse to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court constitutes an act that undermines peace," according to Wafa. The ministry affirmed that "resorting to international institutions and international law is a legitimate right of the Palestinian state, and a peaceful and legal means to protect our people and their rights, and cannot be equated with the policies of occupation, settlement, annexation, and displacement, and the violence of settlers, which pose a real threat to the two-state solution and to peace opportunities, noting that the State of Palestine has called for a halt to unilateral actions."

The ministry expressed its astonishment at the American statement's disregard for what it described as "fundamental reforms" that the Palestinian Authority has accomplished, including unifying the social protection system based on social and economic needs, and implementing a national reform program in the financial, administrative, educational, and legal fields, according to clear and transparent mechanisms that can be verified. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the U.S. administration to assess these reforms based on facts and professional reports, rather than on old political claims that do not reflect the actions taken by the Palestinian government.

It emphasized that "punitive measures" and imposing restrictions on Palestinian officials do not contribute to enhancing peace or combating violence, but rather weaken the Palestinian partner committed to a political solution and encourage forces that work to undermine the two-state solution. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the U.S. administration to reconsider this decision, stop the policy of sanctions and restrictions, and engage in direct and serious Palestinian-American dialogue to address any contentious issues, and to resume bilateral relations based on mutual respect, according to the agency "Wafa."

The administration of President Donald Trump once again refused to grant entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and officials from the Authority to travel to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings next week. The U.S. administration had also denied visas to Abbas and Authority officials last year, and instead of sending a high-level delegation that includes Authority leaders, the Palestinians will again be represented at this international forum by their ambassador to the United Nations and their permanent mission there.

The U.S. State Department attributed, on Wednesday, the continued imposition of visa sanctions to what it described as the "failure of the Authority and the PLO to meet their obligations" under U.S. law.