US again denies Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, visa to attend UN General Assembly

For the second consecutive year, the United States denied a visa to the president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, preventing him from traveling to New York to participate in person in the United Nations General Assembly (UN). The restrictions also applied to other officials from the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

In a statement, the Department of State justified the move due to the Palestinian leadership's failure to fulfill commitments made to the United States. In the statement, the department criticized the PA's actions before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), efforts to secure recognition of a Palestinian state through unilateral means and the "glorification of terrorism."

"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 in accordance with section 604(a)(1) of the Middle East Peace Commitments Act (MEPCA)," stated the agency led by Marco Rubio.

"The Department has maintained the standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations as was the case in the Department’s prior determinations," it added.

The decision comes just days before the start of the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, which will be held Sept. 22–26 and on Sept. 28 at UN headquarters in New York. Abbas was scheduled to address the assembly on Thursday, Sept. 24.

Prior to the State Department's confirmation, The Times of Israel had reported that Abbas had already been notified that he would not be able to travel to New York. In 2025, Abbas was also unable to travel to New York after the United States denied him a visa, and he addressed the General Assembly via videoconference.