In a query directed to the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, the parliamentary leader of the PCP, Paula Santos, argues that the United States, as the host country of the UN headquarters, is “legally obligated to allow representatives of UN member states and observers, including Palestine, to access the UN headquarters and participate in its meetings,” based on the “Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations” of 1947.
“Denying the entry of the legitimate representatives of Palestine and its people, whether it be the President of the Palestinian Authority and his delegation, or the representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to participate in the UN General Assembly in New York, is not only outrageous, it is illegal under international obligations and the legal framework of the United Nations”, accuses the PCP.
By blocking the participation of Palestinian representatives, the party considers that the US Government “is violating international law, its own binding commitments, and undermining the very credibility of the UN system.”
For the communist bench, this is an “imposition of a coercive measure through abuse of power, using the denial of visas as a political weapon to silence a people under brutal occupation, oppression, and colonization.”
“If any other country tried to prevent the presence of delegations at the UN, the US would condemn that act as an open attack on diplomacy. Instead, the United States of America once again proves that it does not hesitate to act against international law to protect Israel and attempt to suppress Palestinian voices—an unacceptable act that Israel’s Foreign Minister has already publicly thanked the US Secretary of State for,” the question argues.
Considering that the “regular functioning of the United Nations is at stake,” the PCP wants to know “what urgent initiatives” the Portuguese government is undertaking “to ensure the immediate access and full participation of the representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority in the UN General Assembly, taking place this month in New York.”
On August 29, the US announced the denial and revocation of visas to members of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) ahead of the UN General Assembly, where France will advocate for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly,” reads a statement issued by the US Department of State.
