by Reuters, Amichai Stein
A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella PLO and the PA.
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The US will not allow Palestinian officials and diplomats, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the PA and the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization.
In a statement, the department reiterated longstanding US and Israeli allegations that the PA and PLO had failed to repudiate terrorism while pushing for “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.
Palestinian officials reject such allegations and say that decades of US-mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation and secure an independent Palestinian state.
A UN General Assembly “cannot be subject to any restrictions on access,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said the EU should protest the decision “in the strongest possible terms.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a statement on Saturday that he had spoken with Abbas to express Madrid’s support, and he called the visa decision “unjust.”
“Palestine has the right to make its voice heard at the United Nations and in all international forums,” he said on X/Twitter.
A Friday State Department release titled “Trump administration reaffirms commitment to not reward terrorism and revokes visas of Palestinian officials ahead of UNGA” said that the US is denying and revoking visas from members of the PLO and the PA ahead of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September.
“The Trump administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” the release noted.
“Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism – including the October 7 massacre – and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the PLO,” the release stated.
“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.”
The release said that the US administration believed that both the PA and the PLO’s actions “materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.”
Governments typically send large delegations to the assembly. The restrictions could lead to a depleted Palestinian presence at a summit where Britain, France, Australia, and Canada have pledged to formally recognize a state of Palestine.
Abbas to be barred from UNGA
The restrictions mean that Abbas would likely not be able to travel to New York to deliver an address to the annual gathering, as he typically does.Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the visa decision and argued it violated the UN’s “headquarters agreement,” under which the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. His office did not say whether his visa was revoked or denied.
The office called on the US administration to reconsider and reverse its decision, “reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions, and obligations toward peace,” adding that the American decision “stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement.”
The move follows the imposition of US sanctions on PA officials and members of the PLO in July, even as other Western powers moved toward recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In its statement, the State Department said that the PA’s mission to the UN would not be included in the restrictions. It did not elaborate further on what that meant.
Thank you @SecRubio for holding the "PLO" and PA accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel. We thank @POTUS and the Administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again. pic.twitter.com/vi2SP7IaWA
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) August 29, 2025
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked President Donald Trump for the
“bold step” and for “standing by Israel once again,” in a statement on
social media.
Thank you, President Trump, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Through your actions, you demonstrate to the entire world what moral clarity and deep commitment to security and peace truly mean.
— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) August 29, 2025
As stated in the Department of State’s announcement:
“Before the PLO and PA can be…
Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said that the move showed “the entire world what moral clarity and deep commitment to security and peace truly mean.”
“This firm stance is a model of leadership – one that the entire international community should embrace: zero tolerance for terror and zero rewards for violence,” he added.
Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism, or foreign policy reasons. The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there, would not be included in the restrictions.
Stephane Dujarric, the UN’s spokesperson, said the world body would discuss the visa issue with the State Department, “in line with the UN Headquarters agreement between the UN and the US.”
Washington also refused to issue a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1988. The UN General Assembly met that year in Geneva instead of New York, so he could address it.
The State Department said it was demanding that the PA and PLO “consistently repudiate terrorism,” including the deadly October 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
Reuters, Amichai Stein
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-865721
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