Mahmoud Abbas condemned Washington’s decision to deny visas to PA and PLO officials for the UN General Assembly, calling it unlawful, while the Trump administration defended the move as necessary for peace and security.
Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Friday denounced the Trump administration’s decision to deny visas for senior PA and PLO officials, including himself, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next month.
In a statement from his office, Abbas expressed “deep regret and astonishment,” charging that the decision violates international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, given that the “State of Palestine” holds observer status at the UN.
The PA urged Washington to reconsider and reverse the move, while reiterating what it described as Palestine’s commitment to international law and peace obligations, referencing letters Abbas has sent to world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
Earlier on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the visa restrictions, stating that protecting US national security requires holding the PLO and PA accountable for failing to meet their commitments and for obstructing peace efforts.
The official US statement stressed several conditions:
- The PA and PLO must reject terrorism, including the October 7 Hamas attacks.
- They must end incitement to violence in their education system.
- They must cease legal maneuvers at the ICC and ICJ, and drop unilateral statehood bids.
“These actions,” Washington asserted, “have contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release hostages and the collapse of ceasefire talks in Gaza.”
The State Department clarified that while the PA Mission to the UN will retain waivers under the UN Headquarters Agreement, broader engagement depends on verifiable steps toward peace and coexistence with Israel.
In Israel, the decision was warmly welcomed. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised the move:
“We thank President Donald Trump and his administration for this bold step and for standing with Israel.”
The standoff underscores growing US-PA tensions just as world leaders prepare to convene in New York for a high-stakes General Assembly session.
