Image Credit: X account @SecRubio
U.S. Bars Palestinian Officials From UN Visit
The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has revoked the visas of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and nearly 80 senior Palestinian officials ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Officials attached to the Palestinian mission at the U.N. are exempt from the order and will still be able to attend.
National Security Cited
Washington defended the decision by citing national security concerns. The U.S. government argued that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) had not fully renounced violence and continued to undermine peace negotiations through unilateral statehood initiatives and legal actions against Israel at international courts.
Diplomatic Backlash
The Palestinian Authority denounced the move as a violation of international law and of the U.N. headquarters agreement, which requires the U.S. to allow access to all member and observer representatives. The U.N. Secretariat has requested clarification from Washington over the restrictions. Meanwhile, several Western nations—including France, Canada, the U.K., and Australia—signaled their support for recognizing Palestinian statehood, highlighting divisions among U.S. allies over the issue.
