European anger over a U.S. decision.. France condemns the ban on Abbas and Palestinian officials from entering New York.

The United States has sparked widespread European outrage after its decision to deny Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a delegation of about 80 officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization entry visas to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York next month. This decision comes at a sensitive time as France prepares to raise the issue of recognizing the State of Palestine for discussion.

The U.S. State Department justified its decision by citing "security and political concerns," noting that the decision does not include members of the Palestinian permanent mission to the United Nations. However, this decision has raised questions about freedom of access to the international organization's headquarters.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian strongly condemned this decision during a press conference in Copenhagen, emphasizing that "the United Nations headquarters is a neutral place in the service of peace," stressing that access to the organization "cannot be subject to any restrictions whatsoever."

On the other hand, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel joined the French stance, expressing his outrage at the U.S. decision and suggesting holding a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in Geneva to ensure the Palestinian delegation's attendance. He stated, "We must be able to have discussions among ourselves, and it cannot simply be said that we will exclude Palestine from the dialogue."

This escalation comes just weeks before the annual session of the General Assembly, complicating the political situation in the region. This move by the United States is seen as a challenge to European efforts aimed at promoting dialogue with the Palestinians.