A US official has said that Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas is among 80 officials who will be denied visas to attend next month’s UN General Assembly, where France is leading a push to recognise a Palestinian state, AFP reports.

“Abbas is affected by this action along with approximately 80 other PA officials,” a State Department official said in a statement, detailing those impacted by the extraordinary decision announced on Friday by the United States, a key Israeli ally.