The American move comes at a time when several European countries, led by France and the UK, are preparing to recognize the independent Palestinian state, a move that has angered Israel, as Washington sees it as an obstacle to its peace efforts. Some have raised questions about the seriousness of the American step and the possibility of it hindering the upcoming two-state solution conference, as well as the European countries’ attempts to declare recognition of the Palestinian state.
On his account on platform “X”, he wrote: “I just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. We will jointly chair the two-state solution conference in New York.” Macron stated that the goal is to rally broader international contribution to the two-state solution, the only solution that can meet the legitimate aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, refused to grant visas to Palestinian leaders to participate in the UN General Assembly meetings next September, citing an old American law that prevents recognition of the Palestinian state and punishes the authority for what is known as “paying compensation to terrorists.” Taysir Nasrallah, a member of the Revolutionary Council of the Palestinian Fatah movement, confirmed that the US administration’s stance on denying the Palestinian delegation entry visas to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York will negatively impact the session.
He added to “Sputnik” that this impact stems from the US administration’s influence and dominance over the entire international system and its absolute alignment with Netanyahu’s occupying government. Regarding the Palestinian side, he said he believes technology will provide a space to convey the Palestinian position to the world if the US administration insists on its stance refusing to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation, through the use of modern social media technologies.
He concluded by saying that this American stance should create more isolation for America and Israel as they stand against the will of the international community. Dr. Osama Shaath, a Palestinian international relations advisor, considered that preventing the Palestinian delegation from entering the UN is unjust and directly targets undermining the international plan led by Saudi Arabia and France, working under the UN umbrella to set the stage for an international conference recognizing the two-state solution. He noted that this conference will have 22 additional countries recognize Palestine, meaning that Arab and Palestinian diplomatic efforts have troubled the US administration and disrupted the plans.
He further explained to “Sputnik” that the US was forced to punish the Palestinian delegation or prevent them from entering the UN to hinder the convening of this conference, emphasizing that the conference must take place, and the US should bear the consequences of denying a member state’s delegation from attending, given that Palestine is recognized as an observer in the General Assembly and fulfills all its duties according to international law and the upgrades it has received.
He clarified that Palestine has fully entered the digital record of member states, and the Palestinian flag is raised at the UN, meaning that the host country has no right to deny any UN member state, regardless of its status. He asserted that this decision threatens the organization’s independence and jeopardizes US and international relations concerning the protection of UN headquarters, and allowing passage and visas for all UN members, employees, and experts.
He highlighted the priority now is for concerted efforts to bring the Palestinian delegation, even if it is a limited one, emphasizing that the US has no right to deny any country with all its members, as this denial is a clear violation of agreements and political for political reasons. Shaath stated that the priority now is diplomatic pressure from the Palestinian leadership and a group of world countries and the UN to activate the headquarters agreement to pressure the US, indicating a possible swift legal action in US national courts to sue the US administration for denying a state.
He confirmed that this will have significant repercussions on the US domestic front if the US insists on preventing Palestine from attending the General Assembly meetings. He proposed another scenario of exploring the possibility of relocating the headquarters to Geneva, but sees that the US would be in a very embarrassing position before that, due to the implications on international relations.
He added that a possible international coalition could be formed to pressure the US, especially if France and the UK recognize Palestine based on the conference held on September 22. The Palestinian politician warned that the US will face a major diplomatic confrontation with many world countries, particularly four major powers, if it does not change its policy and leave the international community, as it defies international will and justice in achieving the two-state solution.
He mentioned a scenario on the table, albeit weak, of delivering a virtual or electronic speech via the internet, but he does not believe it is currently under discussion, indicating there might be acceptance to reduce the Palestinian delegation or to send representatives, or move the headquarters to the General Assembly if refused and insisted. However, he warned that the consequences of this decision would be dire for the future of international relations and would affect the continued presence of the UN headquarters in the US, and Washington’s status in the UN.
The high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the Palestine issue and the implementation of the two-state solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, was held at the UN headquarters in New York on July 28 and 29, with participation from 17 countries alongside the Arab League and the European Union.
Several countries, including France, the UK, Canada, Portugal, and Malta, pledged to recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly session scheduled for this September. The announcement by several Western countries of their intention to recognize the State of Palestine has been met with rejection and condemnation from both Israel and the United States.
The State of Palestine enjoys recognition from 147 out of 193 UN member states, while the United States has not recognized the State of Palestine and used its veto power in 2024 against full membership for Palestine in the UN.
