WASHINGTON, 23 August. - (ANA) - The US is looking to maintain the precedent it set in 2025 when it refused to grant Mahmoud Abbas a visa, according to sources who spoke to Israeli media.

 

The Trump administration is planning to block Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York next month, according to Israeli media reports.

 

The alleged plan would make it the second year in a row in which the Palestinian leader would be blocked from travelling to the US for the conference, after he was refused a visa in 2025.

 

The Times of Israel reported the plan on Thursday, citing an unnamed US official, who said that Washington is looking to maintain the precedent set last year.

 

Abbas' visa refusal came amid plans led by France and Saudi Arabia to host a conference at the UN to discuss the two-state solution. The US and Israel shunned the conference, with speculation that the visa refusal was part of a bid to pressure Ramallah over the event.

 

France declared its recognition of the State of Palestine at the conference, which was anticipated months ahead of the UNGA. 

 

The Trump administration gave no specific reason for the move, but accused the states organising the two-state solution conference of rewarding Hamas.

 

A Palestinian source who spoke to TOI said that Abbas had asked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to intervene regarding the planned visa refusal for September.

 

Another source who spoke to The Jerusalem Post also mentioned efforts to get Erdogan to intervene.

 

A State Department spokesperson cited by TOI appeared to sidestep the matter of whether Abbas would be banned again.

 

“As a general matter, we have no comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases due to visa record confidentiality,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying.

 

”The Foreign Missions Act authorizes the secretary of state to impose restrictions or conditions on the travel within the United States of foreign mission members,” they added.

 

Abbas is set to address the UNGA on 24 September. His last visa refusal meant that the 90-year-old PA chief delivered his address to the assembly in 2025 via video link.   - (ANA) -

 

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