U.S. visa denial keeps Abbas from attending UN General Assembly in person
The United States denied visas to Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials for a second consecutive year, preventing Abbas from attending the UN General Assembly in person. He delivered his address by video; the U.S. cited its concerns about Palestinian Authority conduct, while Abbas called the denial unlawful and rejected the stated grounds.
Countries involved United States · 1 outletPalestine · none in our sourcesIsrael · 0 of our 1 outlet
First reported among our outlets by Fox News (United States), · most coverage from Venezuela (1), United States (1), Spain (1), South Korea (1)
What the parties said
United States
“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…
Coverage
Fox News · United States22 Sep 11:00Middle East takes center stage at UN as regional leaders confront Iran war, Gaza and Houthi threat
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was denied a U.S. visa for the second consecutive year.
South China Morning Post · Hong Kong24 Sep 17:40Netanyahu blasts critics at UN, dismissing Gaza genocide accusations
the Palestinian delegation was denied US visas by Washington
Asahi Shimbun · Japan24 Sep 17:16Palestinian president delivers video address to UN General Assembly; US denies visas for second consecutive year
Yonhap News Agency · South Korea24 Sep 17:05Palestinian Authority leader denied a U.S. visa, gives video address to UN General Assembly
France 24 · France24 Sep 15:06REPLAY: Palestinian president Abbas addresses UN General Assembly
the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.
1 more from France 24
Israeli policies threaten 'life and existence' of Palestinians, Abbas tells UN
El País · Spain24 Sep 17:11Visas for some, not for others: Why is Trump preventing the Palestinian leader from going to the UN?
The Guardian · United Kingdom24 Sep 17:50Netanyahu calls Israel’s war in Gaza ‘opposite of genocide’ in UN speech
“unlawfully” denied visas by the Trump administration
Palestinian existence under threat, Abbas tells UN, warning of ‘another Nakba’
measures he called unlawful and a breach of the United States’ obligations as host country
teleSUR English · Venezuela24 Sep 15:28Israel Threatens the Existence of the Palestinian People: Abbas
The Palestinian leader delivered his address by videoconference because the administration of President Donald Trump had barred him from entering the United States to participate…
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Netanyahu Addresses UNGA Amid Isolation, Defends Israel’s Military Offensives
CBC News · Canada24 Sep 15:18Netanyahu rejects genocide allegations in Gaza after mass walkout at his UN speech
after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.
NDTV · India24 Sep 21:01Netanyahu Attacks UK, France, Turkey In Fiery UN Speech
One of Netanyahu's fiercest critics, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, was unable to attend the UN gathering after the Trump administration refused him a visa.
Daily Jang · Pakistan24 Sep 15:09The Palestinian people are being massacred, and destruction and genocide are being carried out in Gaza, Mahmoud Abbas
Where accounts differ
Whether the United States could lawfully deny the visas while hosting the General Assembly
Abbas called the measures unlawful and a breach of the United States’ host-country obligations; El País said the denial violated rules requiring the host to facilitate delegations’ work.
measures he called unlawful and a breach of the United States’ obligations as host country
The United States maintains that it may deny visas on security, terrorism, and foreign-policy grounds.
The reasons for the visa restrictions
The State Department said the restrictions responded to a failure to carry out reforms and activities it considered harmful to prospects for peace.
Abbas rejected the U.S. grounds and said Palestinians should not be punished for seeking an end to occupation or using international bodies.