The Palestinian Authority on Thursday (September 17, 2026) slammed a decision by the United States to refuse visas for its officials to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, a move which includes president Mahmoud Abbas according to a source familiar with the case.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP that the Palestinian Authority president, Mr. In a statement that did not mention Mr. Abbas, was covered by the measure. The Ministry also “expressed its astonishment at the U.S. statement’s disregard for the substantive reforms carried out by the State of Palestine.
In a statement on Thursday (September 17, 2026), which also did not mention Mr. Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank — fighters and civilians — since October 7, 2023, when a Hamas-led attack killed more than 1,200 people, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data. The ensuing Israeli military campaign waged relentless strikes on Gaza that have killed more than 73,821 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
Abbas by name, the State Department said it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA), “as a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace. Abbas by name, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the decision “an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian-U.S. relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability”.
The Trump administration took the same step last year, forcing the Palestinian leader, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.
