The Palestinian Authority has been banned from entering the US again. Here’s more about it

In a repeat of last year's decision, the United States has once more prohibited officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA) from entering the country for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. President Mahmoud Abbas will have to address the assembly remotely. The US State Department announced they will not be granting visas to PA officials, citing "ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace" in the region.

This decision, according to the State Department, is due to the PA's attempts to "internationalize" the conflict through institutions like the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, as well as by continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and glorifying acts of terrorism in public statements and educational materials.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, however, denounced the US' decision as "unjustified," arguing it hinders "efforts to rebuild trust, strengthen Palestinian-American relations, and advance the two-state solution." The ministry vehemently rejects the notion that the PA's pursuit of rights through international law and institutions is detrimental to peace, stating that "resorting to international law and institutions is a legitimate and peaceful means of protecting our rights."

Established in 1993, the Palestinian Authority is supposed to govern the West Bank and Gaza. However, the militant group Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip for several decades, while the PA operates from Ramallah in the West Bank. The PA comprises various Palestinian factions but excludes militant groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as per the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

The PA's leader, Abbas, has been in power since Yasser Arafat's death in 2004, despite widespread criticism of his lack of democratic legitimacy.

In a letter released in 2025, Abbas condemned the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and vowed to hold elections and reform the PA.