US denies Abbas visa again for UN General Assembly
The United States has denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend next week's UN General Assembly session in New York, repeating last year's move.
The US State Department announced Wednesday it would deny visas to officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA), citing their failure to reform and actions it says undermine prospects for peace. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP that PA President Mahmoud Abbas is covered by the decision, meaning he will again be unable to attend the General Assembly session in New York next week.
This marks the second consecutive year the Trump administration has taken this step. Abbas, a regular presence at the UN General Assembly, will once again have to address world leaders via video message instead.
Accusations over international bodies
In its statement, the State Department said the PLO and PA had "once again failed to live up to their commitments," including initiating and supporting actions at international organizations that contradict prior pledges. Washington accused the bodies of internationalizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, pursuing unilateral recognition instead of negotiations, and continuing to pay stipends to convicted terrorists while glorifying terrorism in public statements and school textbooks.
The decision puts Washington at odds with numerous countries, including France, which recognized a Palestinian state at the UN last year. A total of 142 UN member states backed that recognition following a conference on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
Escalating violence in the West Bank
The move comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has intensified in recent months in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Violence there has surged since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank since that date. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,700 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The international community has voiced concern over the violence, but the US has largely stayed quiet, saying only that it opposes any annexation of Palestinian territory.
