Palestinian FM: US visa bans will not derail statehood drive
Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian took time during a visit to Cairo on Sept. 4 to speak with Al-Monitor about the US' barring of President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials from the UN General Assembly, Israeli annexation threats in the West Bank and more.
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In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian spoke at length about the Trump administration’s recent restrictions on Palestinian officials, including the Aug. 30 decision to bar President Mahmoud Abbas and more than 80 officials — herself included — from attending the UN General Assembly later this month.
She condemned these measures as “detrimental” to peace efforts, while outlining the Palestinian leadership’s ongoing commitment to diplomacy and statehood.
The minister also criticized Washington’s Aug. 13 directive instructing consulates not to honor Palestinian passports, even though the Palestinian travel document was born out of US-sponsored peace talks signed in Washington by Abbas in 1993.
