Gaza [Palestine], August 31: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' office has urged the United States to reverse a decision to revoke the Palestinian leader's visa, just weeks before he was set to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The Palestinian presidency expressed "astonishment" at Washington's decision on Friday to rescind the visas for Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials before next month's high-level meetings at UN headquarters.
Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years and generally leads the Palestinian delegation.
"We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision," Abbas's spokesperson spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told the Associated Press on Saturday, warning that the move "will only increase tension and escalation".
"We have been in contact since yesterday with Arab and foreign countries, especially those directly concerned with this issue. This effort will continue around the clock," Abu Rudeineh said.
The spokesperson also urged other countries to put pressure on US President Donald Trump's administration to reverse its decision, including most notably those that have organised a high-level conference about reviving the two-state solution. Set for September 22, the conference is being co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia.
The Trump administration's visa curbs come amid growing condemnation of Israel's devastating war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and a wave of Israeli settler and military violence in the occupied West Bank.
The deadly attacks have prompted a growing number of countries to announce plans to recognise an independent Palestinian state at the UN in September.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the revocations on Friday by accusing the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) of "not complying with their commitments" and "undermining the prospects for peace". (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
