US Revokes Visas for Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

Tue Oct 21 2025 23:54:35 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The United States has announced a ban on Palestinian officials attending the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, citing concerns over peace negotiations and unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.

In a controversial move, the US government will deny or revoke visas for Palestinian officials planning to attend a UN General Assembly session in New York. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the ban is related to efforts that undermine peace and insistence on recognizing a Palestinian state unilaterally. This decision comes as several countries, including France, plan to raise the issue of Palestinian statehood at the UN, against the background of escalating violence in the region.

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.

More than 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the onset of conflict escalated in October 2023, following a deadly attack by Hamas on southern Israel.

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.

Rubio emphasized that Palestinian representatives at the UN mission in New York could attend meetings in accordance with the UN Headquarters Agreement, although the legality of the US's decision remains under scrutiny.

The state of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the UN's 193 member states, yet its recognition does little to change the on-ground realities without clear borders and amidst ongoing settlement actions by Israel.