U.S. Bars Palestinian Officials From Attending U.N. General Assembly As France Plans Recognition Of Palestine

The United States announced Friday it will not grant visas to officials from the Palestinian Authority to attend next month's U.N. General Assembly, at a time when France is preparing to formally recognise the State of Palestine.

In a statement, the State Department said:“Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejects and revokes the visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.”

The move likely means Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be unable to travel to New York to deliver his annual address at the high-level gathering.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the list of Palestinian officials affected by the visa revocations includes Abbas himself, along with other senior figures in the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.

The State Department statement added that, under U.S. law, Secretary Rubio is revoking the visas because,“It is in our national security interest to hold the PLO and the Palestinian Authority accountable for their non-compliance with commitments and for undermining prospects for peace, as the Trump administration has made clear.”

The statement continued:“Before the PLO and the Palestinian Authority can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently renounce terrorism – including the October 7 massacre – and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required under U.S. law and as the PLO itself pledged. The Palestinian Authority must also cease its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, as well as efforts to secure unilateral recognition of a so-called Palestinian state.”

The U.S. administration said these Palestinian actions had“directly contributed” to Hamas' refusal to release hostages and to the collapse of ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.

At the same time, the statement noted that the Palestinian mission to the United Nations will continue to receive exemptions under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement.

The United States remains open to re-engagement in accordance with our laws, should the Palestinian Authority and the PLO meet their obligations and take concrete steps back toward a constructive path of settlement and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel,” it said

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