EU ministers urge US to reconsider visa ban on Palestinian officials

European Union (EU) foreign ministers met in Copenhagen on Saturday, and they unanimously urged the United States to reconsider its recent decision to deny entry visas to Palestinian officials, reported Xinhua.

The US Department of State said Friday in a statement that it is "denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly".

The meeting also discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but the participants were deeply divided over whether to impose further sanctions against Israel.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a press conference that while member states broadly agree on the gravity of the situation, consensus has not been reached on concrete measures.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who chaired the meeting, said an increasing number of member states believe Israel is unlikely to change course without stronger pressure.

Outside the meeting venue, demonstrators gathered, urging Denmark and the EU to take stronger action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Reconsider and reverse

Anadolu Ajansi reported that an Arab-Islamic ministerial committee on Gaza also expressed regret over the decision.

In a statement, the committee called on the US administration to reconsider and reverse the decision, stressing the importance of respecting obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, providing space for dialogue and diplomacy.

The committee emphasised the need to support the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas in advancing his government’s reform programme and the commitments he reaffirmed to world leaders in support of peace and in confronting violence, extremism and terrorism amid the current circumstances of unprecedented escalation against the Palestinian people.

It warned that weakening the Palestinian Authority would undermine peace efforts and fuel further conflict.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters the UN learned of the US decision through media reports and would follow up with Washington, emphasising that all delegates entitled to attend the assembly should be able to travel freely.

At a joint Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit in Riyadh on Nov 11, 2023, Türkiye, Palestine, Indonesia, Qatar, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the secretaries-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League were tasked with undertaking international initiatives to achieve lasting and comprehensive peace in Gaza. Subsequently, Bahrain and the UAE joined efforts.

Also known as the Gaza Contact Group, the committee has carried out initiatives in capitals including London, Paris, New York, Washington, Ottawa, Brussels, Oslo, Madrid, Cairo, and Amman.

- Bernama

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