The United States denied a visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his participation in the UN General Assembly session scheduled for next week in New York, an informed source told AFP. Later, the U.S. State Department confirmed that visas would not be issued to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority. Abbas was not mentioned by name in the statement, but the AFP source clarified that the decision applies to him as well. Washington stated that the reason for the denial was the unmet obligations of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, according to the American side. In particular, the State Department accused them of lacking necessary reforms and actions that, according to the U.S., undermine the prospects for a peaceful settlement. U.S. authorities also stated that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO are using international organizations, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, to internationalize the conflict and are attempting to seek unilateral recognition, bypassing the negotiation process. Additionally, the statement included accusations of continuing payments to individuals whom the U.S. labels as terrorists and glorifying terrorist acts in public statements and school textbooks. This is not the first such decision. Last year, the administration of President Donald Trump also denied Abbas a visa, preventing him from addressing the General Assembly in person, and he had to speak to its participants via video link. As was the case a year ago, the denial means that the Palestinian leader will not be able to attend one of the main international diplomatic platforms in person. However, the work of the UN General Assembly will continue as usual. So far, the authorities of the Palestinian Authority have not publicly announced how Abbas intends to participate in this year's meeting.
