US denies Abbas visa for UN General Assembly again

The United States has denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York for the second consecutive year, preventing him from participating in person at the high-level session next week. The State Department announced on Wednesday, September 16, that it would extend visa sanctions on members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials of the Palestinian Authority, citing their failure to meet commitments under U.S. law. The department did not name Abbas in its public statement, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP that the Palestinian Authority president was covered by the measure. The State Department said it had reported to Congress that the PLO and PA had again failed to meet commitments under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002. Washington accused the Palestinian organizations of supporting actions at international bodies that undermine commitments related to UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.