Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European statement distributed in Brussels by the office of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas, as well as statements issued by member states' foreign ministers following a meeting in Copenhagen, revealed a unified European position on the US refusal to grant entry visas to Palestinian officials. However, it was noted that the statement and statements deliberately omitted explicitly mentioning the host country, the United States. The statement from the European High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stated that the European Union was aware of the decision to deny and revoke entry visas for members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization prior to their participation in the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
In light of the current headquarters agreements between the United Nations and the host country, we urge a review of this decision.
Kaya Kallas said in statements made from Copenhagen following the meeting of EU foreign ministers: "We all urgently request that this decision be reviewed, based on international law." In turn, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said his country supports suspending trade agreements with Israel with the aim of ending the war in Gaza.
He added, "Israel's practices in Gaza go beyond self-defense, and pressure must be exerted to end the war and the humanitarian catastrophe." He continued, "Israel is destroying the two-state solution."
Washington announced on Friday evening its decision to revoke and deny entry visas to officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, weeks before the new session of the General Assembly, during which France plans to proceed with formal recognition of the State of Palestine.
In the same context, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed his condemnation of the US decision, saying from Copenhagen that "the UN headquarters is a neutral place... a campus dedicated to the service of peace," stressing that "attendance at the General Assembly should not be subject to any restrictions."
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel also criticized the US decision, saying, "We must be able to discuss matters together. We cannot be held hostage." He proposed holding a special session of the UN General Assembly in Geneva to ensure the participation of the Palestinian delegation. This issue is one of the rare issues that has unified the positions of European Union leaders. The foreign ministers of the 27 member states at the Copenhagen meeting expressed a common position in rejecting the US decision, despite their ongoing disagreements for months over how to impose sanctions on Israel due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. According to a report by the European news network in Brussels, Euronews, which added, "Observers believe that this decision reflects the rapprochement between the administration of US President Donald Trump and the Israeli government, which strongly opposes the idea of ​​​​a Palestinian state and seeks to place the Palestinian Authority on the same side as Hamas in Gaza." In this context, a US State Department official revealed on Saturday that approximately 80 Palestinian officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, have been placed on a list of those barred from obtaining visas to enter the United States, stressing that the measure will be fully implemented before the UN meetings.