Senior Palestinian official denied U.S. travel visa for first time

A senior Palestinian official has been refused a visa for the United States, she said Monday, amid worsening relations between the two sides. Hanan Ashrawi, a longtime aide to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, announced on Twitter she had been turned down without being given a justification.

"I'm over 70 & a grandmother; I've been an activist for Palestine since the late 1960's; I've always been an ardent supporter of nonviolent resistance," she said in a tweet. "I've met (& even negotiated with) every Sec. of State since (George) Shultz, & every President since George H. W. Bush (present administration excluded)." She later told AFP it was the first time she had ever been refused a visa to the United States, where her daughter and grandchildren live.

"I travel there at least three or four times a year," she said. Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee and former minister, has been involved in Palestinian politics for decades and has won multiple awards for her work, including the French Legion of Honour.

There was no immediate reaction from the US embassy. Relations between the US and the Palestinians have been strained since President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017.

The Palestinians see the eastern part of the disputed city as the capital of their future state and cut ties with the Trump administration in response. Trump is expected to release a long-delayed peace plan in the coming months.

In a recent tweet Ashrawi referred to Trump peace envoy Jason Greenblatt as a "self-appointed advocate/apologist for Israel". 

(With inputs from agencies.)