The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the U.S. government Saturday to reconsider its unexpected decision to revoke his visa, only weeks before his planned attendance at the U.N.’s primary annual meeting and an international conference focused on establishing a Palestinian state.

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the visas of Abbas and 80 other officials in advance of next month’s annual high-level session of the U.N. General Assembly, as announced by the State Department on Friday. Abbas has been a regular speaker at the General Assembly and typically heads the Palestinian delegation.

“We urge the American administration to undo this decision. It will merely heighten tension and escalation,” said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian presidential spokesperson, to The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday.

“Since yesterday, we have been engaging with Arab and international countries, especially those directly tied to this matter. This effort will be ongoing around the clock,” he explained.

He appealed to other nations to pressure the Trump administration to reconsider the decision, especially those organizing a high-level conference on September 22 aimed at renewing efforts for a two-state solution in the Middle East. The conference is co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed opposition to the limitations on access to the U.N. General Assembly, indicating he planned to discuss the matter with his EU counterparts.

“The United Nations headquarters is a place of neutrality, a sanctuary dedicated to peace, where conflicts are resolved,” he said Saturday. “The UN General Assembly … cannot suffer any restrictions on access.”

Abu Rudeineh also urged an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and “escalation in the West Bank, because none of this will lead to any solution.”

The move came as the Israeli military declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone. Israel says Gaza City remains a stronghold of Hamas.

The Trump administration has taken several steps to target Palestinians with visa restrictions.

“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) and PA (Palestinian Authority) accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the State Department said in a statement.

The Palestinian Authority denounced the visa withdrawals as a violation of U.S. commitments as the host country of the United Nations. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body would be seeking clarification from the State Department. ___

Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.