Trump administration revokes visas of Palestinian mission ambassador's family

Move comes after US opts to close Palestine Liberation Organisation's office in Washington DC

Tom Embury-Dennis
Thursday 20 September 2018 10:00 BST
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President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in New York.
President Donald Trump meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in New York.

The Trump administration has revoked visas for the family of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) top representative, the envoy has said.

In the latest development in the worsening relations between the US government and Palestinian leadership, Husam Zomlot, head of the PLO General Delegation to the US, said on Sunday his family, including his two young children, had left the country.

It came after they were informed their visas would expire when the diplomatic office is closed next month, Mr Zomlot said. The visas were originally set to expire in 2020.

The Trump administration said last week the office in Washington would close. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO's executive committee, criticised the Trump administration for being "vindictive".

"As if the announcement that the US would close our office in Washington DC was not enough, this vindictive action by the Trump administration is spiteful," Mr Ashrawi said in a statement. "The US has taken its attempts to pressure and blackmail the Palestinians to a new level."

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Mr Zomlot said in an interview that two of his employees met last week with State Department staff, who had requested the meeting.

"The State Department informed our colleagues, as part of the discussion on the closure, that the visas of my wife and children are dependent on the PLO delegation and as such will not be valid after the closure of the office and that if they wanted to stay they would have to change their immigration status'," Mr Zomlot said.

He added: "This goes against diplomatic norms. Children, spouses and family have nothing to do with political rows."

Last month, the US halted all funding to a UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees.

The Palestinian leadership has angered the White House by boycotting its peace efforts since Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved the embassy there, reversing decades of US policy.

The status of Jerusalem – home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions – is one of the biggest obstacles to any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of an independent state they seek. Israel says Jerusalem is its eternal and indivisible capital.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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