The U.S. State Department blocked members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials from attending next week's UN General Assembly. Visa sanctions extended under section 604(a)(1) of the MEPCA prevented President Mahmoud Abbas from entering New York for the second consecutive year, according to U.S. and Palestinian officials. A waiver remains in place for personnel assigned to the PLO’s UN observer mission.

Washington informed Congress that the Palestinian Authority failed to meet commitments, citing the pursuit of legal action against Israel at the ICC and ICJ. The State Department also accused officials of attempting to bypass negotiations through "unilateral recognition" of Palestine, alongside payments to terrorists and the glorification of terrorism. The UN General Assembly votes Sept. 17 on a resolution allowing Palestine to participate by video if representatives are barred from New York.