The Trump administration announced it is denying and
revoking U.S. visas from members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine
Liberation Organization.
Canada and a number of other nations have stated their intention to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next month.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision was based on the groups' attempts to obtain statehood recognition at the UN and their requests for the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to look into alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department.
“Both 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.
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 officials who were refused admission were not identified in the statement. It was unclear at first whether Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, who was scheduled to attend the UN meeting in New York, was on the list.
At the UN headquarters, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador, told reporters that they were determining the precise meaning of the U.S. action "and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly."
According to the U.S. statement, representatives assigned to Mansour's Palestinian Authority representation at the UN would be given waivers to allow them to continue their work from New York.
In addition to addressing the General Assembly, as he has done for many years, and attending a meeting on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on the afternoon of September 22, Mansour stated that Abbas still plans to lead the delegation to the high-level sessions.
The White House said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump will visit New York to speak to the general assembly on September 23.
During the summit, Canada, Britain, Australia, and France have indicated or declared their intention to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks.
The nations have stated that the Palestinian Authority, which has restricted autonomy over a portion of the occupied West Bank, is a prerequisite for their recognition.
Abbas has indicated that he will comply with the requests of the Western countries.
In the occupied regions and overseas, the Palestinian people are represented by the globally renowned Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has received strong support from the Trump administration. Additionally, the United States has not denounced the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Canada and other allies claim threaten efforts to achieve a two-state solution.
In a post on X, the U.S. secretary stated that Rubio welcomed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Washington on Wednesday "to reaffirm our two nations’ close cooperation."
When asked about the proposal for a Palestinian state following the conference, Saar responded that there would be none.
The United States is generally obligated to grant foreign diplomats access to the United Nations in New York as under the 1947 UN "headquarters agreement." However, Washington has stated that it has the authority to refuse visas for foreign policy, security, and terrorist reasons.
Early this month, Hamas said that it had agreed to a U.S.-backed plan for a truce in Gaza that would see the return of all remaining captives and the release of some in exchange for negotiations with Israel that would put an end to the violence.
In addition to obtaining arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Rubio this week ordered sanctions against many judges and prosecutors from the International Criminal Court who were involved in the court's probe into Israel's actions in Gaza.
How does the US justify this move under the UN Headquarters Agreement?
The U.S. maintains that visa revocations and visa denials
are based on U.S. law, especially terrorist-related statutes that obligated it
to hold Palestinian officials accountable who failed to condemn terrorism,
including the October 7 attack and broader incitement.
The U.S. government believes that visa restrictions are within its sovereign rights to exclude foreign-sponsored terrorists for purposes of national security and public safety.
The UN Headquarters Agreement requires the host country (the U.S.) to provide UN personnel and representatives of member states access to the UN headquarters district without restrictions, however, the U.S. draws a distinction between official UN personnel and Palestinian officials who do not have full diplomatic immunity or status under the UN.