The United States has again denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an entry visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the development to the Agence France-Presse, AFP, on Wednesday.
In a statement that did not specifically name Abbas, the US State Department said it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, and officials of the Palestinian Authority, PA.
The department attributed the decision to what it described as their failure to fulfil commitments to the United States and activities that it said undermined prospects for peace.
According to the State Department, the PLO and PA had “once again, failed to live up to their commitments.”
Washington also accused the organisations of seeking to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through actions at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, pursuing unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state and supporting what it described as payments to terrorists and the glorification of terrorism.
The decision mirrors a similar action taken by the Trump administration last year, when Abbas was prevented from attending the UN General Assembly in person and addressed the gathering by video.
The latest move puts Washington at odds with countries including France, which recognised a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year.
A total of 142 UN member states backed the declaration following a conference on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The visa decision comes amid renewed concern over violence in the occupied West Bank, where attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have reportedly increased in recent months.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, while violence in the territory has intensified since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, at least 1,109 Palestinians, including fighters and civilians, have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank since October 2023.
In Gaza, more than 73,700 people have reportedly been killed during the ensuing Israeli military campaign, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose casualty figures the United Nations considers reliable.
The United States has opposed any annexation of Palestinian territory but has otherwise faced criticism over its response to the escalating violence.