Erdogan District Of US Decree Revokes Visa Of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Ahead Of UN Session

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan/PHOTO via Instagram @rterdogan

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United States should immediately revise its decision to revoke the visa of Palestinian officials and a ban on attending world leaders' meetings in the United Nations (UN) this month in New York.

Last week, Washington said it would not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials to travel to New York, where some US allies would recognize Palestine as a country.

"The move is not in accordance with the United Nations' raidon d'étre," Erdogan told reporters on a flight home from China, according to a statement from his office on Tuesday, September 2.

"This decision needs to be revised immediately. The United Nations General Assembly is here to discuss world issues and find solutions," Erdogan said.

"The absence of the Palestinian delegation at the General Assembly would only please Israel. What the United States expects is to say 'stop' Israeli massacres and atrocities," he continued.

The US State Department confirmed its decision to ban Abbas and other parties by reiterating old US and Israeli accusations the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) have failed to reject extremism while pushing for "one-sided recognition" of the Palestinian state.

The General Assembly opened on September 9, but leaders are scheduled to meet in New York later this month amid growing criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Turkey, a NATO member, has strongly criticized Israel for its actions in Gaza and said Israel committed genocide there.

Turkey has stopped all trade with Israel, called for international action against it, and has repeatedly urged world powers to stop supporting Israel.

Israel firmly denies its actions in Gaza constitute genocide and says that the act is justified as self-defense.

On Monday, Israel rejected a resolution issued by the genocidal expert association stating legal criteria had been met to establish Israel committing genocide, saying the statement was based on the lie of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Since last week, Turkey has also called for Israel to be suspended from international organizations, including the UN General Assembly.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan first delivered the call at a meeting of the Organizations of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying recent Western promises on Palestinian state recognition show "the current reverse against Israel", but further steps are needed.

He said joint coordinated efforts within the United Nations were needed to encourage "the full membership of Palestine, while also considering Israel's suspension of General Assembly activities".

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus repeated the call at an extraordinary parliamentary session on Gaza on Friday last week, saying Israel should be suspended from international organizations to end its "genocidal policy".