US Again Denies Abbas Visa Ahead of UN Assembly

The United States has again denied Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and members of his delegation entry visas to attend next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, preventing Abbas from appearing in person for a second consecutive year. The State Department attributed the decision to the Palestinian Authority’s alleged failure to reform and actions it says undermine peace, including pursuing measures against Israel in international institutions, supporting payments to individuals convicted of terrorism, and glorifying violence. Notices sent to some Palestinian officials cited Section 212(a)(3)(B) of U.S. immigration law, which permanently bars individuals deemed to have engaged in terrorist activity or association with terrorist organizations, though it remains unclear whether that specific provision was applied to Abbas. The Palestinian Mission to the UN has introduced a resolution that would allow Abbas to address the assembly by video on September 24, when he is scheduled to speak alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The administration of current President Donald Trump will continue allowing the Palestinian Mission to operate in New York despite the visa restrictions.