The administration of US President, Donald Trump has announced that it is denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
The announcement was made in a statement released by the US Department of State.
“The Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”
US Department of State
The statement said that the members “must consistently repudiate terrorism,” citing the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
It added that the Palestinian Authority must “also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.”
Those steps “materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” the department said in a statement, which did not specify which officials had their visas revoked.
Washington has repeatedly hit out at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) for the courts’ recent decisions related to Israel, with the Trump administration levying a series of sanctions against ICC judges and prosecutors in recent months.
The ICJ ruled last year that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory was unlawful and should come to an end as soon as possible.
The ICC also issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Tommy Pigott said on X, “Before we take them seriously as partners in peace, the PA and PLO must completely reject terrorism and stop counterproductively pursuing the unilateral recognition of a hypothetical state.”
Both the PA, which has limited self-governing authority in the occupied West Bank, and the PLO, the internationally recognised Palestinian umbrella organisation, serve as representatives for the Palestinian people and push for recognition of a Palestinian state on the global stage.
The Trump administration had previously sanctioned members of the PA and PLO, accusing them of the “glorification of violence” and “undermining peace.”
It was not immediately clear which officials the denials would apply to, as UN members and non-member observers like Palestine typically send large delegations to the UNGA.
Palestinian Authority’s Mission to the UN To Receive Waivers
According to Friday’s announcement from the State Department, the Palestinian Authority’s Mission to the UN currently helmed by Ambassador Riyad Mansour “will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters Agreement.”
However, the restrictions could prevent the attendance of Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas and is likely to severely limit the Palestinian presence at the annual global summit as the war in Gaza continues and a number of key allies prepare to recognize a Palestinian state.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the announcement, Mansour said that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas planned to attend the UN gathering next month, which is set to include a September 22 segment on Palestinian rights.
He said that it was unclear if the US move would affect Abbas’s planned visit.
Mansour noted that the Palestinian mission to the UN is evaluating the Trump administration’s announcement. “We will see exactly what it means and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly,” he said.
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