Summary
- US revoked visas of Palestinian Authority and PLO officials.
- Action precedes the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2025.
- New visa applications for Palestinian officials have also been denied.
- The US cites national security and lack of Palestinian commitments to peace.
Palestinian officials hoping to attend the 80th UNGA session in New York City, which begins on September 9, 2025, will have their visas denied or revoked, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.
“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,”
the announcement read.
It's unclear if the limitations apply to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to attend the UNGA session and give a speech.
As part of the Oslo Accords peace deal between Israel and the PLO, the PA has been in charge of regulating parts of the occupied West Bank since 1994. Internationally acknowledged as the official representative of the Palestinian people in the diaspora and in the Palestinian territories, the PLO is an umbrella political coalition.
Referring to the attack on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, the Trump administration stated Friday that it calls on the PLO and PA to "unequivocally condemn terrorism" and to stop "incitement to terrorism in education," according to a US State Department press release.
On Friday, with regard to the US State Department's decision to refuse to issue visas to the Palestinian delegation expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City next month, the Palestinian Authority expressed "deep regret and surprise".
The host nation hosting the UN's headquarters permits all heads of state to speak at the yearly assembly as part of the agreement.
Ahead of a UN summit on a two-state solution, Abbas wrote to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron in June of this year to denounce the attacks on Israel.
According to Rubio's announcement, the PA must stop attempts "to circumvent negotiations through international lawfare campaigns," such as requesting unilateral recognition of a hypothetical Palestinian state and filing appeals with the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. According to the Trump administration, these two acts
"materially contributed to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks, and to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages."
In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Several nations, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and Malta, followed suit when France declared in July that it would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the UNGA in September.
The United States initially declared on July 31 that it would impose sanctions and refuse visas to PA leaders and PLO members.
How do UN Headquarters Agreement waivers allow PA mission staff to operate in New York?
As the hosting country, the U.S. is obliged to allow mission representatives from member states and recognized observer States, including their official mission personnel, access to and movement within the headquarters district (the area of it being New York City).
The agreement also refers to the facilitation of visas and entry for the official UN mission and their families so that they could perform effectively in their diplomatic capacity.
The staff of the PA mission at the UN, receive, as part of their mission capacity, waiver of a visa required under the general U.S. immigration visa restrictions, so the representatives of the PA, can maintain a continuous presence at the UN to perform their work and participate in meetings of the UN body.