U.S. Blocks Palestinian Leader Abbas from UN Summit
U.S. bans Palestinian leader Abbas from UN summit, escalating Middle East tensions.
The U.S. State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, has revoked the visas of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials, barring them from attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month, a State Department official confirmed on Friday.
This unprecedented move, which also includes denying new visa applications from Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) members, comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza City a combat zone and amid plans by several U.S. allies to recognize Palestinian statehood at the UNGA.
The State Department justified the decision, citing the PA and PLO’s failure to “consistently repudiate terrorism,” including the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, and their pursuit of “lawfare” through appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. “It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for undermining the prospects for peace,” the department stated.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the visa restrictions as a violation of the U.S.-UN Headquarters Agreement, which mandates access for representatives of UN observer states like Palestine. PA Ambassador Riyad Mansour expressed uncertainty about the impact on Abbas’s planned address to the UNGA and attendance at a September 22 meeting on a two-state solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The decision, which spares Palestinian diplomats permanently based at the UN mission, has drawn sharp criticism. The PA expressed “deep regret and astonishment,” urging the U.S. to reverse the move, while UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric emphasized the importance of representation for all member states and observers, noting ongoing discussions with the State Department.
The visa revocations follow other U.S. actions, including the suspension of a program for injured Palestinian children from Gaza, reflecting the Trump administration’s broader policy of restricting Palestinian engagement amid heightened Middle East tensions.
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