US bars Palestinian leader Abbas from UN as allies pledge statehood

August 30, 2025 2:04 PM

US bars Palestinian leader Abbas from UN as allies pledge statehood

The United States said on Friday it would not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several U.S. allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state. A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. Abbas had...

Can the Palestinians become a full United Nations member?

September 13, 2024 12:33 PM

Can the Palestinians become a full United Nations member?

When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas travels to New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this month, he will for the first time be seated on the floor of the General Assembly among other U.N. member states. But the Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the U.N. where the delegation is known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and does not have a vote in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS O...