The US State Department said on Wednesday it had again denied entry visas to Palestinian officials ahead of next week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. The State Department said in a statement that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had “breached their commitments,” accusing the groups of “taking steps to internationalize the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)” and of “glorifying “terrorism,” among other accusations. “As a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and its ongoing activities that undermine prospects for peace, the United States will expand sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and Palestinian Authority officials,” the department said. The move marks the second year in a row that the Trump administration has banned the Palestinian delegation from traveling to New York to attend the UN general assembly in person. Palestinian-Americans and prepare the political climate necessary to implement the two-state solution and achieve peace and stability in the region.” Among the Palestinian officials who have been banned from entering the U.S. is Mahmoud Abbas, the longtime president of the Palestinian Authority, according to reports. The U.N. General Assembly will vote Thursday on a draft resolution that will allow Abbas to address the meeting remotely, according to two officials familiar with the planned vote, according to the New York Times. Last year, Abbas He addressed attendees via video conference. The general debate of this year’s UN General Assembly begins on September 22.
