Hey there! ✈️ Big news: The U.S. just blocked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from attending the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and a key summit in New York, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. 😲🌐
Under the 1947 UN "headquarters agreement," foreign leaders normally get visas to attend UN HQ in Manhattan. But the U.S. can refuse entry for security or foreign policy reasons, and that’s what happened to Abbas and about 80 members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA). 🚫🗽
The State Department argues the PA and PLO haven’t fully distanced themselves from extremist groups, and they're eyeing "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state, basically asking other countries to grant statehood without restarting peace talks with Israel. 🤔✌️
Abbas’s office fired back, calling the visa decision a breach of the UN deal. However, the PA’s permanent UN mission, the staff already based in New York, are still allowed in. The UN said it will raise the issue with the U.S. to stick to that headquarters agreement. 🤝
Why this matters: With Britain, France, Australia, and Canada set to recognize Palestine at UNGA, this visa ban shows how geopolitics and travel rules collide. Stay tuned—global diplomacy is always full of surprises! 👀🚀
Reference(s):
U.S. bars Palestinian President Abbas from UN meeting in New York
cgtn.com
