US Again Blocks Abbas from UN Assembly

​In a hardline move echoing last year’s restrictions, the United States has denied entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian leadership, barring them from attending next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.

​The State Department announced that it is extending sweeping visa sanctions against officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), citing persistent failures to fulfill reform commitments, ongoing financial stipends to individuals linked to terrorism, and the broader institutional glorification of violence.

​Washington also pointed to Palestinian efforts to bypass bilateral peace talks by pursuing unilateral state recognition and escalating the conflict through international judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

​“It is in our national interest to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for glorifying terrorism,” the State Department asserted in an official media note.

​The decision marks the second consecutive year that the 90-year-old Palestinian leader has been blocked from traveling to the international summit. While a standing waiver remains active for personnel formally assigned to the permanent PLO Observer Mission to the UN, the broader travel ban affects roughly 80 high-ranking officials.

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​The Palestinian presidency slammed the decision as an “unjustified measure” and urged Washington to reverse course, warning that the move obstructs political trust and damages prospects for a two-state solution. Conversely, Israeli officials welcomed the announcement, praising Washington for holding Palestinian leadership accountable.

​The UN General Assembly is now facing procedural votes to determine whether Abbas will be permitted to address world leaders via a prerecorded video statement, mirroring the remote-participation format utilized during last year’s session.