US Revokes Visas for Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN Assembly

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied and revoked visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA), including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, preventing their attendance at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The Trump administration justified the move as a national security measure, citing the PA and PLO's failure to repudiate terrorism, including the October 7 massacre, and their continuation of incitement to terrorism in education, which violates U.S. law and previous PLO commitments. Additionally, the administration condemned the PA's attempts to bypass negotiations through international legal actions and unilateral efforts to secure recognition of a Palestinian state, which it said contributed to Hamas's refusal to release hostages and the collapse of Gaza ceasefire talks. While PA representatives assigned to the UN mission in New York will receive waivers under the UN Headquarters Agreement to continue operations, the administration emphasized readiness to reengage if the PA/PLO take concrete steps toward peace and compromise with Israel. The move also follows other restrictive measures by the State Department against Palestinians, including suspending a program for injured Palestinian children to receive medical treatment in the U.S. The Palestinian ambassador to the UN expressed surprise and is assessing the impact of these visa restrictions.