Visas denied to Palestinian officials: France denounces US State Department decision

The United States has decided not to grant visa requests to Palestinian officials, preventing them from participating in the United Nations General Assembly, which will begin on September 9 in New York.

A decision was taken this Friday, August 29, by the US State Department, which indicated that it "revokes and refuses" the visa application "for members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority."

During the UN General Assembly, France will take a stand and advocate for Palestine and for the recognition of a Palestinian state. And as the event approaches, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed his shock at Washington's decision. "The United Nations headquarters is a place of neutrality. It is a sanctuary, at the service of peace. A United Nations General Assembly cannot tolerate any restrictions on access," he declared this Saturday from Copenhagen, where a meeting of European Union foreign ministers is taking place.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister, Xavier Bettel, joined him: "We cannot be held hostage," he declared, raising the possibility of organising a special session of the UN General Assembly in Geneva, at which the Palestinians could ensure their presence. "We must be able to discuss together; we cannot simply say that we are excluding Palestine from the dialogue," he stressed.

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source : 20 Minutes - Illustration : ©Unsplash)