Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the European External Action Service, said on Saturday that the bloc regretted the extension of the visa denial for a second consecutive year. He said the United States, as host country to the United Nations headquarters, should reconsider the measure in light of its obligations under agreements with the organisation.
The intervention came after the US State Department confirmed this week that visas would not be granted to Abbas and members of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization delegation. Washington said the restrictions reflected what it described as failures by Palestinian leaders to undertake reforms and actions that it says undermine prospects for peace with Israel.
The State Department has also criticised Palestinian efforts to pursue cases involving Israel before international courts. The Palestinian leadership rejects Washington’s reasoning and has called the visa restrictions unjustified, arguing that they impede diplomacy and weaken efforts aimed at securing a negotiated two-state settlement.
The dispute places renewed scrutiny on the 1947 agreement governing the United Nations headquarters in New York. The accord provides for access to the headquarters district by representatives attending UN business and states that required visas should be issued promptly. US administrations have maintained that the host-country arrangement must be applied alongside American law and national-security responsibilities.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed regret over the visa decision and concern about its effect on Palestine’s ability to participate fully in United Nations work. The disagreement has therefore moved beyond a bilateral US-Palestinian dispute, drawing attention from European governments and the wider UN membership ahead of the General Debate beginning on September 22.
The General Assembly has already approved arrangements allowing Abbas to address the session remotely if he cannot travel to New York. A resolution adopted on Thursday backed virtual Palestinian participation and called for Washington to reverse its decision, underscoring broad opposition among member states to restrictions on access for representatives invited to UN proceedings.
Palestine holds non-member observer state status at the United Nations and maintains a permanent observer mission in New York. The latest US restrictions do not prevent personnel already accredited to that mission from attending meetings, meaning Palestinian representation at the General Assembly will continue even if the high-level delegation remains barred from entering the country.
Washington imposed similar restrictions last year, when Abbas was also prevented from travelling to New York and addressed the General Assembly by video. That episode prompted criticism from UN members and arguments that denying access to invited representatives risked undermining the organisation’s role as a forum for diplomacy, regardless of political disputes between the host government and participating delegations.
The US position has remained that Palestinian leaders must meet conditions related to governance, security and the peace process. American officials have specifically objected to moves at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice involving Israel, characterising such steps as attempts to bypass direct negotiations.
Palestinian officials, by contrast, maintain that engagement with international institutions is a legitimate diplomatic and legal avenue. They have also said restrictions on their senior leadership are incompatible with efforts to rebuild relations with Washington and advance political negotiations.
The EU’s appeal adds another layer of pressure at a sensitive moment for transatlantic diplomacy over the Middle East. European governments have differed among themselves on aspects of policy towards Israel and Palestine, but the bloc’s statement focused narrowly on access to the United Nations and the responsibilities of the host state rather than the wider conflict.
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