US again denies Palestinian leader visa for UN General Assembly

The United States has denied a visa to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to attend the UN General Assembly in New York. According to the State Department, this decision was made due to the Palestinian Authority's failure to reform and actions that undermine peace prospects.

The US had taken a similar step last year, forcing Abbas to address the UN General Assembly by video. The State Department stated that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization had failed to live up to their commitments, including initiating and supporting actions at international organizations that contradict prior commitments.

The denial of visas extends to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and officials with the Palestinian Authority. The US cited actions such as pursuing legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and paying stipends to families of prisoners convicted of attacks against Israelis, as reasons for the decision.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, National Post, Free Malaysia Today, CBC News, CityNews — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.