In an unprecedented move, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that Palestinian officials, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, will be denied visas to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. The decision, revealed through a State Department memo obtained by The Post, also includes instructions to revoke existing visas issued before July 31.
This action follows the sanctioning of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for their failure to adhere to the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002. These U.S. laws aim to prevent unilateral actions that could obstruct peace negotiations or support terrorist activities.
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott explained, "In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the PLO and the PA ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly." Pigott emphasized the need for the PA and PLO to abandon terrorism and unilateral statehood efforts to be considered credible partners in peace.
Although the PA Mission to the UN will continue to receive waivers under the UN Headquarters agreement, the broader Palestinian delegation's physical presence at the General Assembly is effectively blocked. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau cited various actions by Palestinian leaders, such as glorifying violence, promoting antisemitism, and materially supporting terrorists, as reasons behind the visa denials.
The move also responds to Palestinian President Abbas's reported plans to introduce a constitutional declaration at the General Assembly, which would unilaterally declare Palestinian independence. Furthermore, the memo criticizes a proposed French-Saudi conference that could inadvertently bolster Hamas and undermine U.S. influence in ceasefire and postwar negotiations by framing a Palestinian state as an inevitable conclusion of the Gaza conflict.
This decision is the first known instance of the United States revoking visas for an entire delegation to the General Assembly. It underscores the Trump administration's commitment to enforcing legal restrictions and leveraging diplomatic pressure to induce policy changes from the Palestinian leadership.
The policy aligns with growing international support for Palestinian state recognition, as indicated by foreign leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have shown favor for a two-state solution at the UN gathering. Rubio's stance, however, prevents Palestinian officials from engaging in these critical discussions.
Set to take place from September 23-27, the UN General Assembly will proceed without the presence of Palestinian representatives, marking a significant shift from traditional U.S. diplomatic practices at the international forum.
