U.S. ‘Denying and Revoking Visas’ of Palestinian Authority and PLO Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

Latest Developments

State Department Denies Visas: The U.S. Department of State announced on August 29 that it would be “denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA)” ahead of the United Nations General Assembly on September 9. Although the announcement said that the “PA Mission to the UN will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters Agreement,” the restrictions will prevent PA President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials from entering the United States to attend the assembly. “Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism — including the October 7 massacre — and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO,” the State Department asserted.
Palestinian Presidency Responds: The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed “deep regret and astonishment at the US State Department’s decision not to grant visas to the Palestinian delegation participating in the UN General Assembly meetings,” and called on the United States to reverse the decision. Regarding the repercussions of the move, Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom Riyad Mansour said, “We will see exactly what it means and how it applies to any of our delegation,” adding that the PA delegation will “respond accordingly.”
Israel Welcomes Move: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio “for holding the ‘PLO’ and PA accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel,” referring to the PA’s appeals to both the International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the International Court of Justice. “We thank [President Trump] and the Administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again,” he said.

FDD Expert Response

“Credit to the U.S. for keeping Mahmoud Abbas out. A petty dictator with no legitimacy, a funder of terror through ‘pay-to-slay,’ and a Holocaust denier. That he is considered a moderate speaks to the violent extremism of the Palestinian leadership. The days of Palestinian officials inciting at the UNGA in New York should be over.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“The U.S. decision to ban PA and PLO members from the UNGA is a bold move well within the prerogative of the secretary of state that sends a message to the Palestinians and to their European boosters who would reward Hamas by recognizing a Palestinian state: America will not tolerate terrorism, those who sponsor terrorism, and those who advocate or reward terrorism.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Adivsor

“The action taken by the State Department to restrict visas to PA and PLO officials follows the earlier announcement in July that the U.S. would pursue this policy. PA and PLO members are required to obtain a visa waiver to work and attend meetings at the United Nations in New York. The PLO was previously designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization and its affiliates such as the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Palestine Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine all remain designated entities. Recent actions by PA and PLO officials have been viewed by the State Department as inciting violence and encouraging terrorist activity against Israel and the U.S.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Congressional Relations, FDD Action

“The United States is more than justified in barring Palestinian leaders from attending the UN General Assembly, but this will not prevent eliminationist anti-Israel rhetoric from pervading the halls at Turtle Bay. Rather than focusing on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s intransigence and tacit support for violence, the international community will view the United States as vindictive and Abbas as a martyr. Instead, the Trump administration should carry out a full-court press to eliminate the UN organs that reinforce the intergovernmental body’s structural anti-Israel bias, including UNRWA and the Division for Palestinian Rights.” — David May, Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst