WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked the visas of a number of Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization officials ahead of next month’s annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, where the groups previously have been represented.
The State Department said in a statement Friday that Rubio also had ordered some new visa applications from Palestinian officials be denied.
“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.
It said that to be considered partners for peace 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.”
The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to target Palestinians with visa restrictions and comes as the Israeli military declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone. The State Department also suspended a program that had allowed injured Palestinian children from Gaza to come to the U.S. for medical treatment after a social media outcry by some conservatives.
The State Department didn’t specify how many visas had been revoked or how many applications had been denied or give details beyond its statement. It wasn’t immediately clear if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would be affected.
The Palestinian Authority denounced the visa withdrawals as a violation of U.S. commitments as the host country of the United Nations and urged the State Department to reverse its decision.
It said in a statement that the Palestinian presidency “expressed its deep regret and astonishment” at the visa decision, which “contravenes international law and the Headquarters Agreement, especially since the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations.”
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body would be seeking clarification from the State Department.
Did Rubio make the right move here?
“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 said representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority mission at the United Nations would be granted waivers under the U.S. host country agreement with the U.N. so they can continue their New York-based operations.
The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., Riyad Mansour, told reporters Friday that Abbas planned to lead the delegation to the U.N. meetings and was expected to address the General Assembly — as he has done for many years.
He also was expected to attend a high-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 22 about a two-state solution, which calls for Israel living side-by-side with an independent Palestine.
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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
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