WorldDiplomatic dispute

State Department Extends Visa Ban on Abbas, Other Palestinian Officials

Published 1w ago · Updated 1w ago

Covered in 3 countries

AI summary60s readNegative

The U.S. barred Palestinian leaders from the UN General Assembly while granting restricted entry to Iranian officials, drawing pushback from European allies.

The European Union has urged the United States to lift its travel ban on Palestinian officials ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The U.S. State Department extended a visa ban barring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation, prompting the UN to permit Abbas to address the gathering via prerecorded video instead. In contrast, the U.S. approved restricted visas for an Iranian delegation led by President Masoud Pezeshkian to attend the annual summit.

Mahmoud Abbas has been barred by the United States from attending the UN General Assembly in person for the second consecutive year.
The United Nations General Assembly will permit President Abbas to deliver his address to world leaders via a prerecorded video statement.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was granted a U.S. visa to attend and speak at the UNGA, subject to tight travel limits and restrictions on luxury goods purchases.
The European Union called directly on Washington to reverse the travel ban on the Palestinian delegation.

By the numbers

2consecutive years Mahmoud Abbas has been barred from UNGA

7months into the war between the US and Iran

Timeline

Sep 17The U.S. State Department extends a visa ban preventing Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian officials from attending the UN General Assembly.
Sep 18The U.S. approves restricted visas for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his delegation to travel to New York.
Sep 19The EU urges the U.S. to lift the Palestinian travel ban as the UNGA approves a prerecorded address by Abbas.

Why it matters

As the host nation of the United Nations headquarters, the United States is generally obligated under the UN Headquarters Agreement to grant entry to foreign dignitaries, though it frequently imposes diplomatic restrictions or denies visas during geopolitical disputes.

What outlets agree on

All outlets report that the U.S. denied visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation for the UN General Assembly while granting restricted visas to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

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Reactions

In this story

UN General AssemblyMahmoud AbbasState DepartmentPezeshkianPalestinian AuthorityIranEU

Covered by 5 outlets

100% of the sources are Left

100%

Lean ratings via Media Bias/Fact Check, Ad Fontes Media, AllSides

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