The United States has once again denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The decision means Abbas will be unable to attend the annual gathering of world leaders in person next week.
The US State Department, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Although the department did not name Abbas directly, a source familiar with the case confirmed that the Palestinian president was covered by the decision.
Washington said the measure was linked to what it described as the PLO and PA’s failure to meet reform commitments and their continued activities that undermine prospects for peace.
The State Department said the Palestinian organisations had “once again, failed to live up to their commitments” to the United States.
It also accused them of pursuing actions at international organisations that Washington believes undermine previous agreements.
The US further criticised Palestinian efforts to pursue the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through international legal institutions, including the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
Washington also accused the organisations of seeking unilateral international recognition of Palestinian statehood and continuing to pay stipends to what it described as terrorists.
The Trump administration took a similar action in 2025, preventing Abbas from travelling to the United States for the UN General Assembly. He subsequently addressed the gathering by video.
The latest decision comes amid renewed international debate over Palestinian statehood and the continuing conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
Last year, 142 UN member states endorsed a declaration supporting Palestinian statehood following a conference on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The United States has opposed unilateral moves toward Palestinian statehood and has maintained that a negotiated settlement is necessary.
Meanwhile, violence has continued to escalate in the occupied West Bank, particularly amid attacks involving Israeli settlers and Palestinians.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, while the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the ongoing war in Gaza and intensified violence across the region.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry figures, at least 1,109 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.
The Hamas-led attack on Israel killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 73,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas control. The United Nations has considered the ministry’s casualty figures broadly reliable.
The latest US visa decision places Washington at odds with several countries that have recognised Palestine as a state, including France.
For Abbas, the decision marks another interruption to his regular participation in the UN General Assembly, where Palestinian leaders have used the platform to push for international support for Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution.
