Palestine: the EU asks the United States to allow Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the UN General Assembly

The European Union (EU) called on the United States, on Saturday, September 19, to reconsider its refusal, for the second year in a row, to grant visas to Palestinian officials for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, while Washington authorized that of Iran to travel to New York by invoking its obligations as a host country. "In light of their agreements with the UN and their obligations as a host state, we call on the United States to reconsider this decision," affirmed Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU diplomatic service. The U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it would not grant visas to the Palestinian delegation, including President Mahmoud Abbas. Only representatives of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to participate in the annual gathering, starting Tuesday. Iran allowed despite the war On the same day, Washington announced that the Iranian delegation, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, could travel to New York, despite the war between the United States and Iran since February 28. The Department of State had then invoked its "obligations as a host country," while specifying that Iranian officials would be subject to travel restrictions. On Friday, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, had expressed "deep regret" for the United States' decision. "The full participation of all delegations in the work of the UN is essential for its proper functioning," his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, added. In response to the American prohibition, the UN General Assembly adopted on Thursday, with 152 votes against three (United States, Paraguay, and Israel), plus four abstentions, a resolution authorizing the President of the Palestinian Authority to speak in a pre-recorded video. Washington blames the Palestinian Authority for "failing to meet its commitments to peace in the Middle East" and for taking actions aimed at "internationalizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly through the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice." The United States also accuses it of "seeking to circumvent negotiations by soliciting unilateral recognition." They are contrary to the number of countries, including France, which recognized the existence of a State of Palestine in 2025, bringing the number of UN member states in this case to 142.