The United States has refused to grant an entry visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for next week’s UN General Assembly session in New York, a source confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement that did not explicitly name Abbas, the State Department declared it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The department attributed the decision to a “failure to reform” and activities that undermine peace prospects.
A source familiar with the matter verified to AFP that the visa denial covers President Abbas. This follows a similar action by the Trump administration last year, which compelled the Palestinian leader, a regular attendee at the assembly, to address the body via video link.
Washington accused the Palestinian organizations of ignoring prior commitments, including efforts to “internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict” through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The State Department further alleged that the PA seeks unilateral recognition to bypass negotiations and continues to provide stipends to individuals it classifies as terrorists while glorifying their actions in public statements and educational materials.
The move places the US in disagreement with several nations, including France, which recognized a Palestinian state at the UN last year. A total of 142 UN member states endorsed the declaration during a two-state solution conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The diplomatic friction occurs against a backdrop of escalating violence in the West Bank. Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, at least 1,109 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data.
The subsequent Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip has resulted in over 73,700 deaths, figures provided by Gaza’s health ministry, which is overseen by Hamas and regarded as reliable by the United Nations.
While the international community has voiced concern over the violence, the US government has remained largely quiet, stating only its opposition to any annexation of Palestinian territory.
Last year it was video links, now it’s a full ban. Is there any path back to normal diplomatic participation for Abbas?
The casualty figures mentioned in the article are heartbreaking. Silence from Washington while tens of thousands die is deafening.
Does anyone actually believe the reform argument? This feels purely political, especially given the timing and escalating violence.
Interesting how the US claims to want peace while simultaneously blocking key diplomatic engagement. Where is the contradiction here?
This is a blatant attempt to silence Palestinian voices on the world stage. History will not judge us kindly for this exclusion.