U.S. Visa Denial Sparks Controversy at U.N. Meeting

The United States has announced it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, affecting about 80 other Palestinians. Key U.S. allies are expected to recognize Palestine as a state during the event.

Several European leaders have criticized the U.S. decision to revoke visas, describing it as a violation of the 1947 U.N. "headquarters agreement," which generally grants foreign diplomats access to the U.N. in New York. The State Department cited concerns over security and extremism as reasons for the visa denial.

The decision has sparked tensions among Western allies frustrated by continuing violence in Gaza and Israeli settlement activities. Palestinian officials have dismissed U.S. allegations of extremism, stressing that previous negotiations have not achieved an independent Palestinian state.

(With inputs from agencies.)