U.S. Bars Mahmoud Abbas From UN General Assembly, Accusing Palestinian Authority of ‘Glorifying Terrorism’

The United States is denying a visa for President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York citing activities that “undermine the prospects for peace.” The State Department said it reported to congress that the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority have, “once again, failed to live up to their commitments” and that it’s therefore extending sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA.The PLO and PA have continued to” to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks” as well as taking actions to “internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict including through the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice,” the State Department said. Israeli media reported that Abbas is among the PA officials barred from entering the U.S. and participating in the UN General Assembly. This is the second year in a row that Abbas has been barred entry.The State Department will however maintain the standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the UN. “It is in our national interest to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for glorifying terrorism,” the department said. Samer Sinijlawi, founder and head of the Palestinian political party Masar Jadid (New Path), told The New York Sun that imposing a broad restriction on an entire nationality would be “neither wise nor constructive. It would prevent many moderate Palestinian voices — people who could bring a positive and necessary dynamic to the American debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—from being heard in the United States.”“Regarding President Mahmoud Abbas specifically, I understand that denying him a visa may be intended to exert pressure for political reform. But pressure of this kind should be accompanied by a clear and constructive policy that supports democratic change. I have not yet heard President Trump’s administration express strong support for holding the Palestinian legislative elections as scheduled on November 28,” he said. Sinijlawi also said that several senior Palestinian political figures are seeking to postpone or cancel the elections and that President Abbas is standing “almost alone within the senior leadership in maintaining the election date. On this issue, he deserves international support.”“If Washington genuinely wants Palestinian reform, it should use its influence not only to apply pressure, but also to protect the most meaningful opportunity for reform: allowing the Palestinian people to choose their representatives through free, inclusive and credible elections, he added. UN member states are scheduled to vote Thursday on allowing Abbas to address the assembly via video as he did last year. U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, issued a statement on X following the announcement of the visa ban, saying: “Europe seems oblivious to reality (the) US clearly sees.” Abbas signed a decree in February last year that would effectively halt PA payments to Palestinian prisoners — also known as the “pay for slay” program.But earlier this year the 90-year-old president admitted part of the Palestinian taxpayer money that Israel withholds are meant for the prisoners. “The continued holding of PA funds by Israel is an unprecedented event that violates the agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as international law. The continued withholding of the Palestinian people’s funds, which have so far exceeded $5 billion … and all this needs to be paid to public employees, to prisoners,” Abbas was quoted as saying at a Fatah conference in May by Jerusalem Post.

U.S. Bars Mahmoud Abbas From UN General Assembly, Accusing Palestinian Authority of ‘Glorifying Terrorism’

U.S. Bars Mahmoud Abbas From UN General Assembly, Accusing Palestinian Authority of ‘Glorifying Terrorism’

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