US Prohibits Palestinian Officials from UN General Assembly Attendance

Sat Sep 13 2025 12:17:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In an unprecedented move, the US government has announced that it will deny travel visas to Palestinian officials intending to attend the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York, citing peace undermining activities and calls for unilateral state recognition.

The United States has decided to deny or revoke visas for Palestinian officials planning to attend the UN General Assembly session. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attributed the decision to allegations that these officials undermine peace efforts and pursue unilateral state recognition. This unusual action has raised questions about the US's role as a host of the UN, especially as several countries, including France and the UK, are pushing to recognize a Palestinian state. The situation also coincides with ongoing tensions stemming from the Israel-Palestine conflict, with significant casualties reported following recent military actions in Gaza.

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. It envisages an independent Palestinian state being created alongside Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Netanyahu says recognition of a Palestinian state would amount to rewarding Hamas's monstrous terrorism.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. More than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

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 his announcement on Friday, Rubio said: 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 stressed the need for an end to bypassing negotiations and pursuing legal actions against Israel in international courts.

While the US is expected to facilitate attendance at UN meetings, it remains uncertain if the denial of visas complies with the UN Headquarters Agreement, which states that attendance should not be impeded based on relations between the US and the respective government.

As the situation evolves, France, the UK, Canada, and Australia are also backing plans to recognize a Palestinian state during the General Assembly meeting next month. Currently, 147 of the 193 UN member states recognize the state of Palestine, despite the lack of defined borders and ongoing territorial disputes with Israel.