US blocks Palestinian leader from UN meeting in New York for second year in row

The US has denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas an entry visa to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, two Palestinian sources have told the BBC.

It comes after the US said it was extending visa sanctions against Palestinian officials, without naming Abbas, accusing them of failing to live up to peace process commitments.

Sanctions were initially imposed in August last year, when 80 Palestinian officials were denied visas for the annual UN meeting in New York.

In its statement, the US accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) of “glorifying terrorism” and attempting to “internationalize” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) was established by the Oslo peace accords. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was recognised after the same process as the official representative of the Palestinian people in return for it recognising Israel and renouncing violence.

Palestinian authorities have not yet responded to the latest US announcement.

But Palestinian officials have reject the long-held accusations the Trump administration and Israel, adding they have a right to seek accountability against an occupying force under international law.

After the visa decision last year, a representative for Abbas said the move stood “in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement”.

Under the UN Headquarters Agreement, the US is required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York. However, Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.

At the meeting of the General Assembly last year, Abbas instead addressed the gathering of leaders and heads of state via video.

All 193 members of the assembly are expected to vote on Thursday as to whether he will be allowed to do the same for this year’s gathering.

The State of Palestine is currently recognised by around 75% of the UN’s 193 member states, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia.

Of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members, the US is the only member that has not recognised a Palestinian state.