Palestinian Rejection of Washington's Renewal of Visa Restrictions on Officials, Including Abbas

The Ministry expressed Palestine's rejection of the decision announced by the US Department of State to extend the restrictions on granting entry visas to officials of the Palestinian National Authority and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

The Foreign Ministry believes that the decision is an unjustified measure that contradicts the efforts made to restore trust, develop Palestinian-American relations, and create the necessary political climate for the implementation of the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability in the region.

The Ministry stated in a statement issued on Thursday that the Palestine Liberation Organization, the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian National Authority are committed to peace, the resolutions of international legitimacy, the two-state solution based on the borders of June 4, 1967, and living in security and peace alongside the State of Israel.

They also affirm their renunciation of violence and terrorism, and their adherence to international law and international legitimacy as the basis for resolving the conflict.

It stressed that the State of Palestine rejects the claim that the Palestinian people's recourse to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court constitutes an act that undermines peace, emphasizing that resorting to international institutions and international law is a legitimate right for the State of Palestine, a peaceful and legal means to protect Palestinians and their rights, and cannot be equated with the policies of occupation, settlement, annexation, and expulsion and the violence of settlers, which constitute the real danger to the two-state solution and the prospects for peace, noting that the State of Palestine has called for a halt to unilateral actions.

The Ministry affirmed that international recognition of the State of Palestine is not a substitute for negotiations, but rather an acknowledgment of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the realization of their independent state, and support for achieving a just peace based on the two-state solution and international legitimacy.

The Ministry expressed its astonishment at the US statement's disregard for the substantive reforms achieved by the State of Palestine, including the unification of the social protection system based on social and economic need, and the implementation of the national reform program in the financial, administrative, educational, and legal fields, according to clear, transparent, and verifiable mechanisms. It calls on the US administration to evaluate these reforms based on facts and professional reports, rather than old political claims that do not reflect the actions taken by the Palestinian government.

It stressed that punitive measures and restrictions on Palestinian officials do not contribute to promoting peace or combating violence, but rather weaken the Palestinian partner committed to the political solution and encourage forces that work to undermine the two-state solution and impose the reality of occupation, settlement, annexation, and expulsion by force.

The State of Palestine affirmed that any restrictions that prevent the full participation of its delegation in UN meetings are an infringement of its rights and the role of the international organization, and contradict the obligations of the host country under the UN Headquarters Agreement. The Ministry continued: It is not enough to limit exceptions to some members of the Permanent Observer Mission, but all accredited members of the official Palestinian delegation authorized to participate in UN meetings must be guaranteed access.

The Ministry called on the US administration to reconsider this decision, stop the policy of sanctions and restrictions, and engage in direct and serious Palestinian-American dialogue to address any issues of contention, resume bilateral relations based on mutual respect, and support the implementation of the New York Declaration and relevant UN resolutions and the peace plan, leading to the end of the occupation and the realization of the independent sovereign State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The State of Palestine affirmed that it will continue to fulfill its national and international obligations, continue the reform program, and work through peaceful political, diplomatic, and legal means in defense of the rights of our people, and that it will not abandon their right to self-determination, freedom, and stability.