Trump administration revokes, denies visas for PA officials to attend UNGA

The Trump administration on Friday said that it had denied and revoked the visas of officials from the PLO and Palestinian Authorities ahead of the UN General Assembly for “undermining the prospects for peace.”

The UNGA is set to be held next month.

In a statement, the State Department said it would grant waivers to the PA Mission to the UN, as per the UN Headquarters Agreement.

The State Department added that it was open to re-engagement “should the PA/PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel.”

The US called on the PLO and PA to “consistently repudiate terrorism,” including the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Additionally, the State Department alleged that the PA was trying to bypass negotiations through lawsuits at the ICC and ICJ as well as through so-called efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a “conjectural” Palestinian state.

“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” according to the State Department.

At least 147 out of 193 UN member states recognize the State of Palestine.