US cancels visas for Palestinian officials just days before UN General Assembly

The US State Department announced on Friday that it is “denying and revoking” visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the UN General Assembly session in September.

In a statement, the department said the decision aims to hold the PLO and PA “accountable” for what it described as their failure to uphold commitments and for “undermining prospects for peace.”

However, it remains unclear whether the move will affect Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s attendance at the assembly.

The development comes as several US allies, including France, Britain, Canada, and Australia, have signaled plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

While Palestine is not a full UN member, it holds observer state status, a designation granted after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution in April that sought to recognise it as a state.

The PLO, which represents Palestinians internationally, and the PA, which governs parts of the occupied territories, both maintain diplomatic missions abroad.

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The State Department confirmed that the PA’s mission in New York would retain its “immunity under the UN Headquarters Agreement.” The US is legally obliged to grant foreign diplomats access to the UN but retains the right to deny visas on national security or terrorism grounds.

According to BBC, visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials were revoked under the new policy. 

In July, Washington announced visa bans on unspecified PLO and PA officials, citing alleged support for terrorism. President Donald Trump, a strong ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also introduced restrictions during his tenure to curb Palestinian diplomatic influence.