US Visa Ban on Palestinian Officials for UN General Assembly

Mon Sep 15 2025 16:35:46 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The United States announces it will deny visas to Palestinian officials attending the upcoming UN General Assembly, a move criticized for impeding diplomatic efforts.

In a controversial decision, the US government has stated it will revoke or deny visas to Palestinian officials intending to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly next month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Palestinian leaders of undermining peace and attempting to gain unilateral recognition for a Palestinian state. This unprecedented action has raised concerns over the US's role as the host nation of the UN and ongoing international discussions on Palestinian recognition.

The US says it will deny or revoke visas for Palestinian officials wishing to travel to New York next month to attend the UN General Assembly session.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed them for undermining peace efforts and for seeking the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.

The decision is unusual - the US, as host country, is expected to facilitate travel for officials of all countries wishing to visit the UN headquarters.

The ban comes as France spearheads international efforts to recognise a state of Palestine at the GA session. Donald Trump's administration has fully backed Israel in voicing opposition to such a move.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has constantly rejected the idea of a two-state solution - the long-time international formula to resolve the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict. He argues that recognition of a Palestinian state would amount to rewarding Hamas's monstrous terrorism.

Hamas has been running the Gaza Strip for years, with its rival Fatah in charge in the West Bank. Both are supposed to be governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abbas is also in charge of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) - the umbrella organisation which represents Palestinians at international fora. The PLO has had observer status at the UN since 1974. It can participate in meetings but not vote on resolutions.

In Rubio's announcement on the visa ban, he stated: Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism - including the October 7 massacre - and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO. He emphasized the need to halt efforts to bypass negotiations by pursuing legal cases against Israel at international courts.

The situation raises questions regarding the legality and fairness of the US's visa prohibition, as it may conflict with the UN Headquarters Agreement, which stipulates that foreign officials' attendance should not be impeded by the US due to governmental relations.

To date, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognize the state of Palestine, demonstrating a growing international acknowledgment, yet the recognition continues to face significant obstacles due to the unresolved conflict on the ground.