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.
Key points
- The visa denials affected Abbas and other Palestinian officials and again kept him from attending the gathering in person.
Evidence · 3 source statements
his delegation was, for the second consecutive year, denied the visas needed to travel to the US
the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.
- The dispute centered both on the U.S. justification for the restrictions and on whether the United States could lawfully impose them while hosting the General Assembly.
Evidence · 5 source statements
measures he called unlawful and a breach of the United States’ obligations as host country
Who's involved
Mahmoud Abbas
He was denied a visa and could not attend the General Assembly in person.
Abbas called the visa denial unlawful and punitive, rejected the U.S. reasons, and said Palestinians should not be punished for seeking an end to occupation or appealing to bodies such as the UN and ICC.
What they said · 5 source statements
measures he called unlawful and a breach of the United States’ obligations as host country
U.S. Department of State
It announced the visa restrictions and gave the U.S. administration’s reasons for them.
The department said it was extending restrictions because, in its view, Palestinian officials had not carried out reforms and continued activities that undermined prospects for peace. It also cited Palestinian Authority legal action against Israel at the ICJ and ICC and support for families of Palestinians convicted of attacks against Israelis.
What they said · 4 source statements
United States
It denied the visas and was the host country for the General Assembly.
The United States maintains that it may deny visas on security, terrorism, and foreign-policy grounds.
What they said · 1 source statement
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.
Evidence · 4 source statements
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.
Evidence · 1 source statement
The accounts present conflicting views about the scope of the host country’s obligations and the U.S. authority to deny visas.
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.
Evidence · 2 source statements
- Abbas rejected the U.S. grounds and said Palestinians should not be punished for seeking an end to occupation or using international bodies.
Evidence · 3 source statements
The U.S. presented the restrictions as a response to Palestinian Authority conduct; Abbas rejected that justification.
What was reported
- The United States denied visas to Abbas’s delegation for the second consecutive year.
Reported independently by 2: France 24, UN News
Evidence · 2 source statements
his delegation was, for the second consecutive year, denied the visas needed to travel to the US
the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.
- Abbas could not attend the General Assembly in person and delivered his address by video.
Reported independently by 2: Asahi Shimbun, EFE
Evidence · 2 source statements
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…
- The State Department said it was extending visa restrictions on Palestinian Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials.
Reported independently by 2: El País, Yonhap News Agency
Evidence · 2 source statements
Not heard from
- Other Palestinian officials whose visas were denied — They were affected by the restrictions, but the statements in these reports are from Abbas rather than from those officials.
- The United Nations as host institution — The dispute concerned access to its General Assembly and the host country’s obligations, but no UN institutional position on the visa denial appears in the claims.