The Palestinian Authority on Thursday slammed a decision by the United States to refuse visas for its officials to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, a move which includes President Mahmoud Abbas. In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called it "an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian-US relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability.” In a statement that did not mention Abbas by name, the State Department said Wednesday it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA), "as a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace." The Trump administration took the same step last year, forcing the Palestinian leader, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.
