Rubio Revokes Abbas’ Visa, Bars Palestinian Delegation From UN General Assembly

Palestinian officials and diplomats will not be permitted to take part in next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, the State Department said Friday.

The directive also calls for denying visas to Palestinian representatives, including Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, and canceling any visas issued before July 31.

The move follows sanctions imposed by the State Department on both the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on July 31, citing violations of the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.

“In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

“Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism, lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood,” Pigott continued.

While the PA mission to the UN will receive limited waivers under the UN Headquarters agreement, Pigott stressed that the U.S. remains open to renewed dialogue only if the Palestinians take concrete steps toward genuine engagement. “The Trump Administration does not reward terrorism,” he said.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau explained that the sanctions were triggered by the PA and PLO “unilaterally declaring Palestinian statehood; glorifying violence; promoting antisemitism; and providing material support to terrorists (‘pay for slay’).”

The State Department memo also warned that Abbas was preparing a “constitutional declaration” of Palestinian statehood at the General Assembly, which will hold its General Debate September 23–27.

The memo described an upcoming French-Saudi conference on the two-state solution as a likely “propaganda victory for Hamas,” arguing its framework would promote Palestinian statehood as the only acceptable outcome to the Gaza war. “This reduces U.S. options in ceasefire talks and in the postwar ‘endgame,’” the memo stated.

This marks the first time the United States has denied visas to an entire foreign delegation, signaling a major policy shift.

The decision comes as other world leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, have expressed support for Palestinian statehood recognition at this year’s assembly.