State Department Says It’s Denying Visas to Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

The Department of State denied visas to Palestinian leaders to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York City next month and will revoke visas that were previously granted to those individuals.

A statement from a State Department spokesperson said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is both denying and revoking visas from individuals who belong to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the U.N. meeting, which will be held between Sept. 9 and 28.

“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 reads.

The department said that before either “can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism,” and that includes the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas that left more than 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages being taken into Gaza.

“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns” such as appealing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), along with attempts to create the recognition of a Palestinian state, the statement added.

The State Department said those actions have “materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.”

Not included in the statement were the names of PA or PLO officials or members whose visas will be revoked or denied. But it would mean that Palestinian officials will not be able to address the annual U.N. gathering or meet with other officials in New York.

France’s president said the country would formally recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly, saying that it is a necessary move to help end the Israel–Hamas conflict that erupted in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The UK, Canada, and Australia have said they are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state during the assembly as well.

This week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country would not join an initiative of Western allies to recognize a Palestinian state next month while speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a joint news conference.

“The position of the federal government is clear, as far as the possible recognition of the state of Palestine is concerned,” Merz told reporters. “Canada knows this. We will not join this initiative. We don’t see the requirements met.”

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that he expects the Israel–Hamas conflict to end before the end of the year.

“We think we’re going to settle this one way or another, certainly before the end of this year,” he told Fox News’ Bret Baier in response to a question about whether the Trump administration is confident about reaching a deal.

“Hamas is signaling that they’re open to a settlement. The Israelis, when they announced this operation, also announced at the same time that they were funding $600 million of aid to go into Gaza, and in addition to that, they also announced that they were open to continuing discussions with Hamas.”