The United States cancels visas for Abbas and Palestinian Authority leaders.

The United States announced its decision to deny senior officials in the Palestinian Authority, including President Mahmoud Abbas, visas to enter the country. This decision comes as part of an attempt to prevent them from attending the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, which has raised the astonishment of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department confirmed that Secretary Marco Rubio made this decision as part of a policy aimed at holding the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority accountable for what it described as failing to meet their commitments and undermining peace prospects. It also accused the Palestinians of waging a "legal war" by resorting to the International Criminal Court.

For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry expressed its astonishment at this decision, noting that it violates the UN Headquarters Agreement. The ministry called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council to take responsibility for this violation.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also added that Washington's decision will not succeed in thwarting international recognition of the State of Palestine, and called for diplomatic and legal solutions to ensure the participation of the Palestinian delegation in the General Assembly meetings.

Under the agreement between the United Nations and the United States, Washington is not entitled to refuse to grant visas to officials heading to the organization. This raises questions about the United States' commitment to international laws.

In a related context, Tel Aviv expressed its gratitude to the United States for this decision, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar describing it as a response to the legal war against Israel. Sa'ar praised the step taken by the U.S. administration.

It is worth noting that several countries, including France, intend to recognize the State of Palestine during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, amid the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and its efforts to annex the occupied West Bank.