US extends visa restrictions on Abbas and other Palestinian officials ahead of UNGA

The United States announced Wednesday that it would extend visa restrictions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The decision is expected to prevent Abbas, who also chairs the PLO, from traveling to New York for the main sessions of the United Nations General Assembly next week. It marks the second consecutive year that the Trump administration has barred the Palestinian leader from attending the gathering in person.

In a report submitted to Congress, the State Department said the PA and PLO had again failed to meet commitments outlined in the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.

Washington accused the Palestinian bodies of supporting initiatives at international organizations that contradict previous commitments connected to UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. It also criticized Palestinian efforts to bring matters before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, describing them as attempts to “internationalize” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bypass direct negotiations.

The State Department further accused the PA and PLO of seeking unilateral international recognition, continuing to provide stipends to Palestinians convicted of terrorism and their families, and glorifying terrorism in official statements and school textbooks.

“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, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials,” the department said.

Washington said the measures were intended to hold the Palestinian leadership accountable and advance US national interests. The PA has not abandoned its efforts to secure broader recognition of Palestinian statehood or pursue action through international institutions, maintaining that those avenues are necessary in the absence of progress toward a negotiated settlement.

In August 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also denied visas to several Palestinian officials, accusing them of failing to honor their commitments and undermining prospects for peace.