The United States has again denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, preventing him from joining world leaders at the annual gathering for the second consecutive year.
The US State Department announced that visa restrictions on officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) would be extended ahead of the UN General Assembly, which begins next week.
Although Abbas was not named directly in the State Department’s announcement, Palestinian sources confirmed that the Palestinian leader is among those affected by the restrictions.
Washington said the decision was based on what it described as the PA and PLO’s failure to meet commitments to the US and actions that “undermine the prospects for peace”.
The State Department specifically cited Palestinian efforts to pursue the Israeli-Palestinian dispute through international institutions, including the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, as well as efforts to secure recognition of Palestinian statehood outside direct negotiations.
The US also accused the Palestinian leadership of supporting what it described as terrorism and glorifying terrorist acts.
The Palestinian leadership has maintained that international diplomatic and legal avenues are necessary after years of unsuccessful negotiations over Palestinian statehood and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The latest decision means Abbas will not be able to address the General Assembly in person when the high-level session begins in New York.
A similar US visa denial last year prevented Abbas from attending the UN gathering. The General Assembly subsequently approved a special arrangement allowing him to address the chamber through a pre-recorded video statement.
The UN is expected to consider whether Abbas will again be permitted to participate remotely this year.
The renewed visa restrictions come amid heightened international debate over Palestinian statehood, the war in Gaza and the future of a two-state solution, with a number of countries having recently recognised Palestine as a state.
For now, Palestinian diplomatic representatives accredited to the UN will continue to operate in New York under an existing waiver, despite the broader restrictions on individual PA and PLO officials.
