U.S. Denys the President of the Palestinian Authority again

“ Due to the inability to carry out reforms, contrary to the commitments made to the United States, and the persistent activities that undermine the prospects for peace, the US will extend the sanctions that prohibit the granting of visas to members of the PLO and those responsible for the Palestinian Authority,” the State Department said in a statement.

An unidentified source confirmed to France-Presse that Abbas is covered by the measure. As early as last year, the Trump administration had taken the same decision, forcing the Palestinian leader, habitual participant in the General Assembly, to intervene by video conference.

Washington accuses Abbas of having “failed in commitments to peace in the Middle East”, pointing out “actions that undermine” and aim to “internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (IJC)”.

The US further criticizes the Palestinian Authority for “seeking to circumvent negotiations through unilateral recognition” and for continuing to pay subsidies to “terrorists” and glorifying acts of terrorism in public statements and textbooks.

The US position contrasts with that of several countries, including France, which recognized last year at the UN the existence of a Palestinian State. In total, 142 Member States supported this decision following a conference on the solution of two states co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

The decision arises in the context of aggravating violence in the West Bank, where attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have multiplied in recent months. Israel has occupied the territory since 1967 and clashes intensified after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.

According to an AFP balance sheet based on data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians – fighters and civilians – since 7 October.

The international community expressed concern about the escalation, but the United States remained largely discreet, saying only that they oppose any annexation of Palestinian territory.

The UN headquarters are located in New York, United States.

The UN Headquarters Agreement says that state, federal or local authorities should not impose any impediment to the movement of representatives of the Member States from or to the UN headquarters in New York, regardless of the relations between the visiting authorities and the United States Government.

However, the United States often claims that they can restrict these visas for reasons of national security.

Last year, Brazil also faced delay in issuing visas to the UN General Assembly.

As early as May this year, Washington was criticized for not issuing the necessary visa for the deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to travel to New York to address the Security Council.

That same month, the Russian ambassador to the UN denounced the United States' refusal to grant a visa to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister to participate in a ministerial debate of the Security Council.

The High Level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly starts on September 22nd in New York, which will be the last session that António Guterres will be attending as Secretary General of the organization.

Among the leaders expected for this debate are the Presidents of the United States, Iran and Ukraine, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.