France criticizes US decision to deny visas to Palestinian Authority ahead of UN summit

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Saturday for unrestricted access to next month’s UN General Assembly, following the United States’ decision to deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"A UN General Assembly meeting... should not be subject to any restrictions on access," Barrot said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Denmark.

Read more: US cancels visas for Palestinian leaders ahead of UN General Assembly

Several other European ministers in Copenhagen expressed similar concerns, backing France’s appeal for Washington to allow the Palestinian delegation to attend.

The US move comes as France leads an initiative to push for recognition of a Palestinian state at the high-level gathering of world leaders in New York. Critics say the visa denial further aligns President Donald Trump’s administration with 'Israel', which is currently engaged in a military campaign in Gaza.

The PA has called on the United States to reverse its decision, describing it as “in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement.”

Read more: Palestinian presidency expresses regret over US denial of visas for UN delegation

PA President Mahmoud Abbas, 89, who once maintained cordial relations with Washington, had intended to attend the UN session.

As the host nation, the United States is bound under the UN Headquarters Agreement not to refuse visas to officials traveling to the United Nations, making the current restrictions a point of international concern.