The Trump administration is extending its ban on visas for Palestinian officials, preventing Mahmoud Abbas from attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York for a second consecutive year.
The State Department said on Wednesday that the restrictions would remain in place because of actions by Palestinian governing and political groups which it said sought to “internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, including attempts to bring cases before international tribunals.
Mr Abbas leads both the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. The main session of the annual UN gathering is due to begin next week.
The State Department said the two Palestinian groups had not done enough to change their practices and accused them of “glorifying terrorism”. It said Congress had been notified of the extension.
The decision repeats a move taken before last year’s United Nations meeting, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to issue visas to Palestinian officials. At the time, the State Department said the officials were being held “accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace”.
The department also demanded that the groups “consistently repudiate terrorism”, including the Hamas-led attack in Israel on October 7 2023, and “end incitement to terrorism in education”. It additionally cited contacts between Palestinian officials and the International Criminal Court.
The Trump administration opposes Palestinian efforts to bring cases before the International Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice.
Around the same time, the State Department suspended almost all types of visitor visas for people holding Palestinian passports. The measure went beyond earlier restrictions affecting Palestinian visitors from Gaza.
