Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials have been blocked from attending September's annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has revoked the US visas of delegates from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and denied others from applying for one.

It is the latest step by Donald Trump's administration to target Palestinians with visa restrictions, and follows the suspension of a programme to allow injured children from Gaza to receive treatment in the US.

Image: The United Nations holds a general debate in New York every year. Pic: STAR MAX/IPx/AP

"It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and

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