U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has canceled the visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and approximately 80 other Palestinian officials only weeks ahead of the traditional annual UN General Assembly gathering, where Palestinian leaders have regularly participated.
A State Department official with a high rank, who asked to remain anonymous because of the secrecy of visa issues, confirmed on Friday that Abbas and the other members of the Palestinian Authority were part of the decision.
The action follows a series of visa restrictions that have been placed on Palestinians by the Trump administration and coincides with a decision by Israel's military to declare Gaza's largest city a combat zone. In a similar move, the State Department suspended a humanitarian program that had allowed children hurt in Gaza to come to the U.S. for medical treatment after some conservatives criticized it on social media.
In a press statement, the department added that Mr. Rubio had also directed that some visa applications by Palestinian officials, including those associated with the Palestine Liberation Organisation, be rejected.
“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 statement said.
The department also emphasized that to be viewed as legitimate partners, the groups “must consistently repudiate terrorism, and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.” There were no statistics given on how many visas were revoked or how many applications were denied.
The Palestinian Authority denounced the move as a violation of US responsibilities as host of the UN and called on Washington to revisit it. In a statement, the Palestinian presidency stated that it "expressed its deep regret and astonishment" over the move, terming it one that "contravenes international law and the Headquarters Agreement, particularly as the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations."
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric informed journalists the organization would request further clarification from the U.S. State Department.
“We obviously hope that this will be resolved,” he said. “It is important that all member states, permanent observers be able to be represented.”
The State Department further indicated that waivers would also be issued for Palestinian officials posted to the UN mission in New York, allowing their operations to go on consistent with U.S. host country commitments.
Addressing journalists, Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour explained that Abbas continued to plan to head the delegation to New York and speak before the General Assembly, just like the years before. He is also due to attend a high-level meeting co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia on September 22, aimed at promoting a two-state solution where Israel would exist alongside an independent Palestinian state.
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