Trump administration denies entry visas to Palestinian officials ahead of UN general assembly

The US state department said on Wednesday that it had again denied entry visas to Palestinian officials ahead next week’s United Nations general assembly gathering in New York.

The state department said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had “failed to live up to their commitments”, accusing the groups of “taking actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ)” and of “glorifying terrorism” among other allegations.

“As a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials,” the department said.

The move marks the second year in a row that the Trump administration has barred the Palestinian delegation from traveling to New York to attend the UN general assembly in person.

The foreign ministry of the Palestinian Authority denied the allegations made against it by the state department in a statement on Thursday, describing the visa sanctions as an “unjustified measure” that “contradicts the efforts being made to restore trust, develop Palestinian-US relations, and prepare the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability in the region”.

Among the Palestinian officials barred from entering the US is Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime president of the Palestinian Authority, according to reports. The UN general assembly is set to vote on a draft resolution on Thursday to allow Abbas to address the gathering remotely, according to two officials familiar with the planned vote, according to the New York Times. Last year, Abbas addressed the gathering by video conference.

This year’s UN general assembly general debate begins on 22 September.