NEW YORK: The Trump administration plans to bar Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from traveling to New York to address the UN General Assembly next month for the second consecutive year, Israeli media reported.
The reported decision follows Washington’s unprecedented move last year to deny visas to the Palestinian leader and other officials ahead of the UN’s annual high-level gathering.
Abbas is scheduled to address the 81st session of the General Assembly on Sept. 24.
He raised his concerns over the plan with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Ankara last week and asked the Turkish president to appeal to US President Donald Trump on his behalf, according to the Times of Israel.
Erdogan subsequently spoke with Trump by telephone on Tuesday, but a US official told The Times of Israel a day later that Washington still intended to prevent Abbas from attending, indicating that the Turkish intervention had failed to change the administration’s position.
On Friday the spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, told Arab News he was aware of the reports, but that the UN has not received any official notification from the US regarding a visa denial for the Palestinian president, noting that visa requests for heads of delegations, including heads of government and presidents, go through Washington and not the UN.
“We have seen cases in the past where visas were denied by the host country,” Dujarric said.
“Our call and our hope remains that the host country will fulfill its obligations under the host treaty agreement, which is meant to facilitate travel into New York City for diplomats and government officials having business at the United Nations.”
Dujarric pointed out that it is not the first time this has been raised.
“We’ve had issues with other delegations, notably the Russian Federation. Those are issues that the Secretariat has raised directly with the host country, and we will continue to do so.”
The State Department did not confirm the decision, citing the confidentiality of individual visa cases, but said Washington took its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement “seriously,” the Times of Israel reported.
It added that US law allows the secretary of state to impose restrictions or conditions on the travel of members of foreign missions.
Washington took similar action in August 2025, when it announced that it would deny and revoke visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority ahead of the UN General Assembly, including Abbas.
At the time, the decision came ahead of a UN conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France aimed at advancing a two-state solution, which the Trump administration opposed on the grounds that it would reward Hamas and undermine efforts to end the war in Gaza.
The visa restrictions triggered a dispute over the responsibilities of the US as host of the UN headquarters in New York, and drew accusations that Washington, Israel’s main ally, was undermining efforts to advance the two-state solution.
The General Assembly subsequently voted 145-5 to allow Abbas and other Palestinian representatives affected by the restrictions to participate remotely, while stressing that they should have been permitted to attend in person. Abbas ultimately delivered his General Assembly address by video.
Washington broadened its restrictions at the start of this year, suspending US entry and visa issuance for people traveling on documents issued or endorsed by the PA, although limited exceptions apply, including for certain diplomatic and official visas.
Despite its strained relations with Ramallah, the Trump administration has continued to engage the PA on specific diplomatic initiatives, including efforts over postwar arrangements for Gaza.
