The European Union said on Saturday it regretted Washington's decision to deny visas for the second year running to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly, urging a rethink, AFP said. The US State Department said this week it was refusing to grant visas to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other members of his delegation ahead of next week's meeting in New York. "We regret the decision to extend the denial of entry visas for members of the Palestinian delegation for a second year in a row," said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the EU's diplomatic service. "In light of its existing headquarters agreements with the UN and its obligations as host state, we urge the United States for this decision to be reconsidered." The administration of US President Donald Trump denied visas for the Palestinian delegation also last year, forcing Abbas, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video. The General Assembly voted 152-3 on Thursday for Abbas to be able to appear virtually once again this year. As it stands, only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to attend the meeting, which begins Tuesday. On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed regret at Washington's decision, adding he was concerned about its impact "on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations". The United States and Israel have objected to the Palestinian Authority's historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis. The PA recently reformed this system, allocating welfare payments to families on a needs basis rather than political affiliation or prisoner status. The State Department said Washington also opposed Palestinian "actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition". They accused them of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks". The United States is at odds with the 142 UN member states that recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year. The decision to deny Abbas a US entry visa comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has escalated in recent months in the West Bank.
