Visa dispute: The United States is trying to disrupt the recognition of Palestine at the UN

The split on the Palestinian issue is growing in the West. The United States and Israel are trying to disrupt the recognition of its statehood at the UNGA session on September 22. Washington is calling on Paris to abandon unilateral decisions, and Tel Aviv is threatening to close the French consulate in Jerusalem. Earlier, the United States had already refused visas to the Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Abbas. Moscow expressed serious concern about Washington's actions. However, the conference will take place in any case, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) emphasized to Izvestia. The President of the country may speak via video link. Despite the pressure, support for the recognition of Palestine is growing in Europe, while Israel continues its military operation in Gaza.

Mahmoud Abbas to speak at conference on recognition of Palestine

The United States and Israel have increased pressure on the international community on the issue of Palestine. On September 22, a conference on the recognition of its statehood is expected at the session of the UN General Assembly. Washington not only calls on its allies to refrain from supporting Ramallah, but also actually hinders the work of the Palestinian delegation, in particular by denying visas to its representatives.

— The actions of the United States are reminiscent of the events of 1988, when Washington also refused a visa to Yasser Arafat, and then the meeting was moved to Geneva. This is a strange decision for a country that hosts an international house," Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO executive committee, told Izvestia. — We expect that these obstacles will be removed, but even if this does not happen, the position of the countries ready to recognize Palestine will remain unchanged.

According to him, despite the pressure, there is a clear trend in Europe towards supporting Palestinian statehood.

— The conference will be held on September 22 with or without the President's personal participation. Perhaps President Mahmoud Abbas will deliver a speech via video link. We are confident that the recognition process is irreversible," Majdalani added.

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Meanwhile, Israel is intensifying its strikes in the Gaza Strip.

On August 29, the State Department officially announced the revocation and denial of visas to representatives of the Palestinian Authority, including Abbas. Ramallah demanded a review of the decision, saying it violated international law and the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement.

The representative of the Secretary General of the organization, Stephane Dujarric, said that the refusal to issue visas to the Palestinian delegation was "alarming" and could complicate the holding of a high-level international conference on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement.

Moscow also expressed serious concern about Washington's actions. The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the denial of access to the delegation "will negatively affect the prospects for reviving the Middle East peace process."

Who in the West is ready to recognize Palestine

Against the background of the controversial decisions of the Americans, a number of Western countries continue to take the opposite position. In July, the foreign ministers of 15 countries — from Australia and Ireland to Finland and France — confirmed their readiness to recognize Palestine.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 24 that Paris would officially recognize Palestine at the General Assembly session. London soon followed the same path: Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain would recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel continued to block humanitarian supplies to Gaza and did not complete the military operation.

The United States strongly condemned these plans. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Paris' decision "irresponsible," arguing that it "plays into the hands of Hamas and sets the process back." President Donald Trump also spoke out against it: "It rewards Hamas. I don't think they deserve the awards."

In unison with Washington, they also performed in West Jerusalem. According to media reports, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar proposed closing the French consulate in Jerusalem in response to Macron's initiative. Israel also revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority after Canberra's declaration of recognition of Palestine.

Today, the State of Palestine is recognized by 147 countries, including Russia. Since 2024, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Armenia and other countries have joined them. In April 2024, Palestine's attempt to become a full member of the United Nations was blocked by an American veto in the Security Council.

The situation in Gaza

As preparations for the meeting continue, the situation in Gaza remains extremely unstable and fighting continues. Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American activist who mediates between the Donald Trump administration and the Hamas movement, said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television that Washington had put forward a "final proposal" to end the war in Gaza. According to him, we are talking about a comprehensive deal: the release of all hostages in exchange for the cessation of hostilities.

The movement confirmed agreement to a "comprehensive deal" if it includes the release of Israeli prisoners in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. At the same time, West Jerusalem said that Hamas' readiness for such an agreement was only a "propaganda maneuver," stressing that the operation in Gaza would continue if the group did not accept Israel's conditions.

The Palestinian Hamas movement continues to hold 48 people in Gaza, of whom about 20 may be alive. And this is one of the key obstacles to resolving the conflict.

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Meanwhile, Israel has announced its intention to bring the military campaign in Gaza to an end. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the operation against Hamas "is entering a crucial stage." According to him, Israel will not stop until its goals are achieved.

"Israeli troops already control about 30-40% of the territory of Gaza City, the operation itself to storm the city is relatively simple for the Israeli army, but holding the region in the long term will be a serious challenge," Palestinian security expert Mohammed al—Masri told Izvestia.

According to him, there remains a significant presence of resistance fighters in the city. The Chief of the IDF General Staff Eyal Zamir, in an address to the military, said that the campaign to storm the city of Gaza had already actually been launched. He noted that in the near future, the fighting will be "intensified and expanded," and the army "will accept nothing less than the complete defeat of Hamas."

Meanwhile, Arab countries insist that any Israeli actions aimed at expanding control over the Palestinian territories are capable of disrupting diplomatic efforts. Moreover, it may affect Israel's relations with its new partners. For example, the UAE's Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs and special envoy, Lana Nusseibeh, warned that Israel's possible annexation of the West Bank would be a "red line" for Abu Dhabi and jeopardize the "Abraham Agreements" on normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel.