Palestinian, Russian officials hold talks on US visa ban, Gaza war

RAMALLAH, Palestine /İSTANBUL

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh held a phone call Tuesday with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin to review the latest political and humanitarian developments in the Palestinian lands, his office said in a statement.

The talks focused on Washington’s recent decision to deny visas to Palestinian officials due to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly meetings, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Ramallah.

According to the statement, Al-Sheikh and Vershinin also discussed escalating Israeli settlement activity, attacks by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, and Israel’s withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues, customs duties collected by Tel Aviv on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Israel has been deducting large sums since 2019, pushing the Ramallah-based authority into a financial crisis that has left thousands of public employees without full salaries.

Al-Sheikh called for an end to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, and the political reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under Palestinian sovereignty as a step toward reconstruction.

“I confirmed with the Russian deputy foreign minister the continuation of close coordination between the two sides to confront current challenges and to support efforts to convene the New York peace conference on Sept. 22,” he said.

The New York Times reported Monday that the Trump administration has widened its visa restrictions on Palestinians, barring most categories of non-immigrant entry.

Last week, Washington revoked visas for senior officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, effectively preventing them from traveling to New York for the UN meetings, at a time when several European countries are preparing to recognize the State of Palestine.

Israel has killed more than 63,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.