US Denies Visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for UN General Assembly

Washington DC. The United States has refused to grant a US visa to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to participate in the United Nations General Assembly to be held in New York next week. The US State Department has stated that visas will not be granted to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority. The State Department has accused the PLO and the Palestinian Authority of failing to improve activities that weaken commitment to the United States and the peace process. The ministry has also accused them of pursuing legal processes through the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice instead of negotiations, unilaterally seeking recognition of a Palestinian state, and glorifying terrorism. The Trump administration had also denied a visa to Abbas last year. After that, he addressed the General Assembly via video instead of attending in person. The US's latest decision comes at a time when countries including France are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state. Following a conference on the two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, 142 UN member states supported a Palestinian state. AFP has reported that at least 1,109 Palestinians have been killed in actions by Israeli soldiers or residents in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. On the same day, more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel in an attack led by Hamas. Since then, more than 73,700 people have been killed in the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza, according to Gaza's health ministry. The international community has been continuously expressing concern over the increasing violence in the Palestinian territories.