Visa Refusals Steepen US-Israel Relationship
United States said on Friday it will refuse visas to Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) members who want to go to next month’s UN General Assembly, where France is driving efforts to recognize a Palestinian state. The action highlights Washington’s cooperation with Israel, which is opposed to such recognition and considers the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza to be linked threats.
A State Department announcement clarified that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is canceling visas “in advance of the next UN General Assembly,” citing concerns regarding the PA and PLO avoiding negotiations through international legal means. The administration blamed Palestinian leadership for “lawfare” for going to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to pursue grievances against Israel.
Palestinian Response and International Tensions
It is unclear if all Palestinian officials are targeted, but PA President Mahmoud Abbas was also supposed to attend the UN session. “We will see precisely what it entails and how it will be applied to our delegation, and act accordingly,” Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour stated.
The State Department suggested that the door is ajar for “constructive engagement” in case the PA/PLO moved to practical steps toward talks, while affirming that the US “does not reward terrorism.”
The move comes amid increasing global momentum to recognize a Palestinian state. France is holding a special summit on September 22, preceding the UN General Assembly, to formally push for recognition. Australia has just committed to recognizing Palestine, with the UK indicating it would do so too unless Israel complies with a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Historical Context and Trump’s UN Strategy
Historically, the United States has a duty to grant visas to officials coming to attend UN sessions in New York. Although Washington maintains it is meeting its obligations by allowing the Palestinian UN mission, the move recalls earlier controversies, as in 1988 when Yasser Arafat addressed the General Assembly in Geneva following an American ban preventing Jewish leader’s entry into New York.
President Donald Trump is due to give one of the first addresses at the UNGA, extending his administration’s trend of aggressively cutting US interaction with international organizations. Recent actions include pulling out of the World Health Organization, the UN climate agreement, and sanctioning International Criminal Court judges who probe Israel or the United States.
The recent visa rejections are set to escalate diplomatic tensions in New York, underlining the escalating rift between Washington and European leaders who are advocating for Palestinian statehood.
