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The United States has officially barred Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and dozens of senior Palestinian officials from entering the country to attend this month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Getting into it: The State Department justified the visa denials by accusing the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) of undermining peace efforts and failing to reject terrorism. Citing national security interests, officials said the PA had “materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release hostages and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.”

The State Department also pointed to the PA’s continued push for “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state and its efforts at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prosecute Israeli officials. State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, “Before we take them seriously as partners in peace, the PA and PLO must completely reject terrorism and stop counterproductively pursuing the unilateral recognition of a hypothetical state.”

The Palestinian Authority denounced the decision as a violation of diplomatic norms and international law. In a statement released Friday, the Palestinian presidency expressed “deep regret and astonishment” at the US move, calling it “a clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement.” The 1947 agreement between the United Nations and the United States requires the US to allow representatives of UN member and observer states to access UN headquarters in New York, regardless of bilateral relations.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for President Abbas, warned the action would “only increase tension and escalation,” adding, “We call upon the American administration to reverse this decision, which contradicts international law, specifically the Headquarters Agreement.”

The move also triggered a wave of international backlash, particularly from European nations. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared that the UN headquarters “should not be subject to any access restrictions,” calling the decision to block Abbas “deplorable.” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke directly with Abbas and later wrote on X, “Palestine has the right to make its voice heard at the United Nations and in all international forums.” Ireland and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas echoed those sentiments, with Kallas urging Washington to reconsider and stressing that such a decision risks undermining the neutrality and function of the United Nations.

This all comes as UN spokeswman Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the organization would be seeking clarification from the State Department and stressed that the headquarters is intended as a neutral space for all states and their representatives.