US Denies Entry to PA Chairman Abbas, Blocks UN Speech

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will not be able to attend the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York after the United States denied his visa request, preventing his entry into the country. In response, the Palestinians are advancing a resolution that would allow Abbas to deliver his speech via a pre-recorded statement, with a vote expected as early as Thursday. The US decision came concurrently with an announcement extending visa sanctions against senior PA and PLO officials, with the State Department stating these officials continue to fail to meet their commitments to Washington.

The US statement alleged that the PA and PLO continue to pay terrorists and glorify terrorism, pursue actions against Israel in the International Court of Justice, and seek unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. However, it was clarified that the existing exemption for staff of the Permanent Palestinian Observer Mission to the UN will remain in effect. According to the draft Palestinian resolution at the UN General Assembly, a Palestinian representative present in the hall would be able to deliver opening remarks before Abbas's recorded speech is broadcast, and the speech's text would be distributed in writing to all member states.

Furthermore, the resolution seeks to allow Abbas to participate remotely in a conference on the two-state solution and permit other Palestinian representatives denied entry to also deliver recorded statements. Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, sharply criticized the PA's conduct, stating that Abbas cannot continue to pay terrorists, reward their families, and promote a culture that glorifies terror, then be surprised when doors are closed to him. Danon added, "Whoever wants to be part of the international community must first behave accordingly. You cannot reward terror with one hand and demand international legitimacy with the other."