Trump’s government denies visas for Palestinian officials ahead of UN assembly

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced it is denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.

The announcement was made in a statement released by the US Department of State on Friday.

According to the statement, the Palestinian Authority’s Mission to the UN “will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters Agreement.”

However, the restrictions could prevent the attendance of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and are likely to severely limit the Palestinian presence at the annual global summit as the war in Gaza continues and a number of key allies prepare to recognize a Palestinian state.

“Today the Trump Administration is announcing it will deny and revoke visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly per U.S. law,” State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on X.

Before we take them seriously as partners in peace, the PA and PLO must completely reject terrorism and stop counterproductively pursuing the unilateral recognition of a hypothetical state,” he said.

The department did not name the officials targeted. It was unclear whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is planning to travel to New York to deliver an address to the late September gathering, was included in the restrictions.

The Palestinians’ ambassador to the U.N., Riyad Mansour, told reporters that they were checking exactly what the U.S. move means “and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly.”

Abbas’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. restrictions follow the imposition of U.S. sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization in July, even as other Western powers move toward recognition of Palestinian statehood.

In a statement, the State Department said that “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.”

Officials with the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, reject that they’ve undermined peace prospects.

Under the 1947 U.N. “headquarters agreement,” the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the U.N. in New York. But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism and foreign policy reasons.

The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the U.N. would not be included in the restrictions. It did not elaborate.

Palestinians have long sought to create an independent state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem through a mediated peace process. Many accuse Israel of having destroyed Palestinian statehood prospects through increased settlement building in the West Bank and by levelling much of Gaza during the current war. Israel rejects this.

Close U.S. allies Canada, Britain, Australia and France in recent weeks announced or signaled their intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the U.N. General Assembly meeting. This ratcheted up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads from its military assault in Gaza.