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Belgium has announced it will not issue diplomatic passports to Palestinian officials to enable their participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Belgium’s foreign ministry announced a proposal from the Belgian-Palestinian Association (BPA), which suggested that Belgium issue diplomatic passports to Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas, after the US administration refused to grant entry visas to the Palestinian delegation.

According to a report by Anadolu, the Belgian authorities clarified that diplomatic passports can’t be issued to Palestinian officials due to the Consular Code of 2014. The code doesn’t allow the European nation to issue diplomatic passports to non-Belgians.

In a statement, the Belgian foreign ministry said, “A Belgian diplomatic passport is reserved for Belgians who represent Belgium, a Community or a Region, or who hold a high-level political or diplomatic position.”

The ministry further stated that even if a diplomatic passport were issued, it would not guarantee entry into the United States, as visa requirements remain in force.

“The American authorities systematically refuse visas to representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) for political reasons,” it said. On July 31, the State Department imposed sanctions on the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Palestinian Authority, denying their members US visas.

The move came after France, the UK, Canada, and Australia announced plans to recognise Palestinian statehood at the upcoming General Assembly, joining 147 countries that have recognised Palestine as a sovereign state.

On August 30, Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevost criticised the US decision as “unfair and counterproductive,” particularly at a time when multiple countries are working to revive the two-state solution under a Franco-Saudi initiative.