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The Palestinian Authority on Thursday sharply criticised a decision by the United States to deny visas to its officials ahead of next week’s UN General Assembly in New York, a measure that also affects its president Mahmoud Abbas.
In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called it “an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian–US relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability”.
The decision marks the second consecutive year in which Abbas has been prevented from traveling to New York for the General Assembly, after a similar visa denial last year forced him to address the meeting by video instead.
The State Department said Palestinian officials, including Abbas, had failed to live up to their commitments under previous agreements to seek peace with Israel. In its statement, the department said that “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, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials.”
The restrictions extend beyond Abbas himself. Similar rejections were issued to dozens of other Palestinian Authority officials who had hoped to travel with him. According to the Times of Israel, one notice seen by a Palestinian official cited Section 212(a)(3)(B) of US immigration law, which prohibits issuing a visa to anyone who has engaged in terrorist activities or been associated with a terrorist organisation.
Despite the ban, Palestinian representation at the summit will not disappear entirely. The Palestinians will still be represented at next week’s high-level meeting by diplomats already accredited to the United Nations, and Abbas is expected to again appear by video.
The US State Department’s statement also noted that it would maintain a waiver allowing members of the Palestinian Mission to the UN to continue operating from New York.
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on a measure that would once again allow Abbas to participate remotely, a mechanism it first used last year.
The renewed visa denial comes at a politically sensitive moment as a number of key members are expected to recognise a Palestinian state at this year’s General Assembly.
In 2025 France officially recognised the State of Palestine, joined by the United Kingdom, Australia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, Malta and Canada. Four of the five permament UN Security Council members now recognise Palestine.
When Washington first imposed the restriction last year, the move drew criticism from European governments including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez who described the visa decision as “unjust”, writing on X that “Palestine has the right to make its voice heard at the United Nations and in all international forums”.
Additional sources • AFP