🔶 The U.S. rejected Mahmoud Abbas’s visa request to attend the UN General Assembly

Times of Israel reported that the U.S. government has rejected for the second consecutive year Mahmoud Abbas’s visa request, the head of the Palestinian Authority. He intended to speak at the United Nations General Assembly next week.

According to a Palestinian official, Mahmoud Abbas’s office learned of the U.S. government’s decision on Wednesday, September 16 (25 Shahrivar). In addition, visa requests for dozens of other officials of the Palestinian Authority who planned to travel to the United States with him were also rejected.

Another Palestinian official provided Times of Israel with the text of a notice received from the U.S. State Department. In the notice, the reason for the denial of the visa application is listed as “Section 212(a)(3)(B).” This section bars the issuance of a visa to a person who “at any point in time has participated in terrorist activity or has been associated with a terrorist organization.” The notice emphasizes that this prohibition is “permanent.”

It is not yet clear whether Abbas’s visa was also rejected for the same reason.