Washington blocks Abbas from UN gathering, citing unmet reform promises
NEW YORK: The United States has refused to grant Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend next week’s UN General Assembly in New York, a move that will once again keep the longtime leader away from the annual gathering of world governments, as reported by Hurriyet Daily News.
A person briefed on the decision told reporters on September 16 that Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority, was included in a broader visa ban targeting officials from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority. The State Department, in a statement issued the same day, said visas would be denied to members of both bodies “as a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace.”
Although Abbas was not named directly in the department’s wording, a source confirmed to AFP that he was covered by the restriction. The decision echoes a similar step taken by the Trump administration last year, which forced Abbas to address the assembly by video link instead of appearing in person.
In its latest statement, the State Department accused the PLO and PA of having “once again, failed to live up to their commitments.” It pointed in particular to “initiating and supporting actions at international organizations that undermine and contradict prior commitments,” without detailing specific cases.
The ban underscores the deepening rift between Washington and the Palestinian leadership, even as the General Assembly prepares to host dozens of heads of state and government in New York. For Abbas, 91, who has attended the meeting regularly for years, the refusal marks another high-profile diplomatic setback and a fresh reminder of how sharply US policy has hardened toward the Palestinian Authority in recent times.
