US denies visas to Palestinian officials attending UN conference

Gaza [Palestine], August 30: The US has announced it will deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority to travel to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly next month.
In a statement on August 29, the US State Department said: "US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session."
"[It is] in our national security interest to hold the PLO and PA accountable for failing to live up to their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace," the US State Department said in a statement, according to Reuters .
The US State Department also called on the Palestinian Authority to abandon "efforts to secure unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state".
The US State Department noted that the Palestinian Authority's mission to the United Nations "will continue to enjoy visa exemptions under the US-UN Headquarters Agreement" signed in 1947.
AFP quoted a US State Department official as saying that Mr. Abbas and about 80 other Palestinian officials would be affected by the US decision.
Commenting on the above information, the Palestinian President's Office on August 29 expressed "deep regret and surprise" at the US State Department's decision not to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation. The Palestinian President's Office called on Washington to "reconsider and reverse the decision".
"We will look at exactly what that means and how it applies to any member of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly," Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said on August 29.
Writing on the X platform, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the "bold step and support for Israel" by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said it was "critical" that all states and observers, including Palestine, be represented at the summit next month. Mr Dujarric said the organisation would discuss visa issues with the US State Department "in accordance with the agreement between UN headquarters and the US".
Previously, the US had refused to grant a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1988. To resolve the issue, the UN General Assembly changed its venue from New York to Geneva, Switzerland.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper