Palestine visa ban fuels misinformation on UN Assembly shift

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) — The United Nations has rejected claims that its upcoming General Assembly high-level week would be relocated from New York to Geneva following Washington’s decision to deny entry to Palestinian officials.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said reports suggesting a vote to move the gathering were “misinformation.”

“There was no such vote in the General Assembly,” he told reporters. “I’m not aware of any preparations being made to move the high-level session out of New York.”

Dujarric added that “reports on fake news sites” claiming otherwise were “wrong.”

The controversy comes after the US barred Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials from attending a conference on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Asked about a possible UN response, Dujarric said: “We were very clear in expressing our concern about that decision, which we feel goes against the host country treaty.” He declined to speculate further, but stressed that all accredited delegations, journalists and UN visitors must be granted entry under the treaty obligations.

On July 31, the US State Department imposed sanctions on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority, denying members visas to enter the country.

The move followed announcements by France, the UK, Canada and Australia that they plan to recognize Palestinian statehood at the upcoming General Assembly. To date, 147 countries have recognized Palestine as a sovereign state.