By:  Ariella Haviv

The Trump administration announced Friday that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, along with other senior Palestinian officials, will not be permitted to attend next month’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. The sweeping visa revocations, which also apply to representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), represent one of the most severe diplomatic measures taken against the Palestinian leadership by the United States in recent years.

According to a report that appeared on Friday in The Jerusalem Post, the announcement was delivered in a State Department release titled “Trump administration reaffirms commitment to not reward terrorism and revokes visas of Palestinian officials ahead of UNGA.” The statement left no ambiguity about Washington’s rationale: the PA and PLO, it said, have failed to honor their commitments, incited terrorism, and attempted to bypass direct negotiations through international forums.

The State Department emphasized that the measures are consistent with U.S. national security interests, stating bluntly that the PA and PLO’s actions have “materially contributed” to Hamas’s refusal to release Israeli hostages and to the collapse of ceasefire talks in Gaza.

“Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO,” the release declared.

The statement further emphasized that Palestinian “lawfare campaigns” — including appeals to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and efforts to secure unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state — are incompatible with a genuine peace process.

The Jerusalem Post report highlighted that the administration’s message represents a dramatic departure from the approach of European governments, many of whom have recently edged closer toward recognition of Palestinian statehood. For Washington, however, the bar on Abbas and his colleagues is a demonstration of “moral clarity” — a term repeatedly invoked by both U.S. officials and Israeli leaders.

For nearly two decades, Mahmoud Abbas has addressed the UNGA annually, using the platform to reiterate Palestinian demands for independence, denounce Israel’s policies, and appeal to international bodies for recognition and intervention. This year, however, he will be conspicuously absent.

As The Jerusalem Post report noted, the restrictions mean that Abbas cannot deliver what has become a ritualistic speech before world leaders — a development that Israeli diplomats see as both symbolically and strategically significant. Denying Abbas this global stage, they argue, strips the PA of one of its most visible avenues for projecting legitimacy.

The State Department did clarify that the PA’s official mission to the United Nations will not be subject to the same restrictions, though it declined to elaborate on how this exemption will be implemented. The ambiguity has already fueled speculation that low-level PA representatives may still be permitted to attend side meetings but will not have the visibility or senior presence that Abbas’s annual address typically affords.

Reactions from Israeli officials were immediate and enthusiastic. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, writing on social media, hailed the decision as a “bold step” and thanked President Trump for “standing by Israel once again.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, framed the move as a model of principled leadership. “This firm stance shows the entire world what moral clarity and deep commitment to security and peace truly mean,” Danon declared, according to The Jerusalem Post. “Zero tolerance for terror and zero rewards for violence — this is the standard the international community should adopt.”

For Israeli leaders, who have long criticized Western governments for indulgence of Palestinian rhetoric at the UN, Washington’s new line offers vindication. As The Jerusalem Post report pointed out, Israel has consistently argued that Abbas uses the UNGA podium not to advance peace but to perpetuate international campaigns that delegitimize Israel while excusing Palestinian incitement and violence.

The visa revocations come on the heels of U.S. sanctions imposed in July on several Palestinian officials, even as governments in Europe moved in the opposite direction. Spain, Ireland, and Norway, for example, recently recognized Palestinian statehood — a move harshly criticized in Jerusalem and welcomed by the PA.

The Jerusalem Post report observed that the divergence between Washington and European capitals underscores a deepening transatlantic split over how to approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the ongoing war in Gaza. While Europe frames recognition as a path to reinvigorating diplomacy, the U.S. insists that unilateral steps embolden terrorism and undercut the prospects of genuine negotiations.

By barring Abbas from attending UNGA, Washington is signaling to allies and adversaries alike that it is unwilling to tolerate Palestinian appeals to international bodies as a substitute for peace talks.

For Mahmoud Abbas, the ban is a personal and political blow. At 89, the Palestinian Authority president faces growing internal dissent, accusations of corruption and authoritarianism, and an increasingly irrelevant governing apparatus in the West Bank. His inability to travel to New York, where he has long sought to present himself as the voice of the Palestinian people, further erodes his international standing.

According to the information provided in The Jerusalem Post report, Palestinian officials reacted with outrage, condemning the U.S. decision as punitive and unjust. Some aides privately admitted, however, that the move reflects the dwindling patience in Washington for what American officials view as Abbas’s duplicity: paying lip service to peace while tolerating — and even incentivizing — violence against Israelis through programs such as “pay-for-slay,” which provides stipends to terrorists and their families.

The State Department’s announcement is also expected to reverberate domestically in the U.S., where debate over Israel and Palestine has grown increasingly polarized. Critics of the Trump administration will argue that barring Abbas represents an abandonment of America’s role as a mediator. Supporters, however, insist the move simply acknowledges reality: that the PA has failed to repudiate terrorism and has undermined peace efforts through its international campaigns.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the administration explicitly linked Palestinian actions to Hamas’s intransigence, arguing that the PA’s rhetoric and diplomatic maneuvers have emboldened Hamas to resist releasing hostages and prolong the Gaza war. By framing the visa revocations as a counter-terrorism measure rather than merely a diplomatic snub, Washington is seeking to align its policy with broader global security interests.

Whether the ban will meaningfully alter Palestinian strategy remains to be seen. Abbas’s authority within Palestinian society has been steadily waning, and his absence from the UNGA may only accelerate calls for new leadership. Still, the symbolic impact of his exclusion is undeniable. For the first time in nearly two decades, the Palestinian president will not be able to use the UN stage to frame his narrative of the conflict.

For Israel, the U.S. stance represents a rare moment of unequivocal alignment. As The Jerusalem Post report noted, Jerusalem views the visa revocations not just as diplomatic support but as an affirmation of its core argument: that peace cannot be built on terrorism, incitement, or unilateral international campaigns.

In barring Abbas, the U.S. has raised the stakes of the diplomatic game — signaling that partnership requires accountability and that the path to recognition lies not through international theatrics, but through genuine repudiation of violence and engagement in direct negotiations.