WASHINGTON/RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: The U.S. has denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an entry visa to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York next week, extending a ban in place since last year, a Palestinian official familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Without naming specific officials, the State Department said on Wednesday it would extend visa sanctions against Palestinian officials over actions they took to "internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," including pursuing cases against Israel at international tribunals.
It marks the second year in a row that President Donald Trump's administration has prevented Abbas from speaking in-person to the gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies last year recognized Palestine as a state.
The 193-member United Nations General Assembly is due to vote later on Thursday to allow Abbas to submit a video statement for the annual gathering next week. Abbas addressed the high-level meeting of the General Assembly via video last September.
The Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Abbas' visa had been denied.
In a statement, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry described the measure as counter to "developing Palestinian-U.S. relations and creating the political climate necessary to implement the two-state solution and achieve peace and stability in the region."
Palestinian officials say that decades of U.S.-mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation and secure an independent Palestinian state.
Under a 1947 U.N. "headquarters agreement", the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the U.N. in New York. However, Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
U.S. President Donald Trump's policies have regularly targeted Palestinians, pro-Palestinian voices and critics of U.S. ally Israel.
Internationally, the Trump administration has sanctioned International Criminal Court officials, including prosecutors and judges. The court's decision to issue an arrest warrant in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel's assault on Gaza has drawn Washington's ire.
Domestically, the Trump administration has attempted to deport pro-Palestinian foreign protesters, threatened a funding freeze for universities over protests and enforced social media screening for immigrants.
The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the General Assembly. It is an observer state holding the same status as the Holy See (Vatican).
