In a new escalation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the entry visas of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and approximately 80 other Palestinian officials, just weeks before the annual high-level session of the UN General Assembly, which Palestinians have participated in with official delegations for decades.
A US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Abbas and a number of senior officials are among those targeted by the decision, without clarifying whether the Permanent Mission of Palestine to the United Nations is entirely exempt from these restrictions.
The US decision, which comes at a sensitive time, coincides with growing moves by a number of Washington's allies—most notably France, Canada, Britain, and Australia—to recognize a Palestinian state during the General Assembly next month. This is a clear indication of a shift in Western positions on the Palestinian statehood issue, against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza war and mounting international anger over Israeli policies.
Earlier, the US State Department considered this step part of"national security efforts," accusing the Palestinian Authority and the PLO of "failing to renounce terrorism and continuing to pursue unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state," which it said hinders the chances of resuming political negotiations.
In a parallel move, the US State Department suspended a humanitarian program that had allowed injured Palestinian children to be transported from Gaza to the United States for treatment, following pressure from conservatives on social media.
For its part, the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed its surprise at the decision, considering it a clear violation of the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, which obliges the United States—as the host country—not to obstruct the entry of representatives of states and international organizations to the organization's headquarters in New York. No official confirmation has yet been issued regarding the direct revocation of Abbas's visa.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that the organization learned of the decision through the media, adding that"the matter will be discussed with the US State Department within the framework of the headquarters agreement," stressing the importance of ensuring free access for all relevant delegates to UN headquarters.
This tension comes amid Israel's increasing isolation in international forums, with 147 of the 193 UN member states now recognizing the State of Palestine. The ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, has reinforced global demands to reconsider the approach to a political solution.
The US move reflects an escalation in the current Trump administration's stance toward the Palestinian Authority, as part of a broader policy that breaks with previous diplomatic traditions, particularly regarding the two-state solution.
Washington denied the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat an entry visa in 1988, forcing the United Nations to move its session to Geneva to enable him to deliver his speech.
