The Trump administration won’t let members of the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization attend next month’s meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
The visa ban includes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
In a statement released Friday, the State Department said it’s in the national security interest to hold the PLO and PA accountable for undermining the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
“Before the PLO and the PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism, including the October 7 massacre, and incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO,” the State Department said.
Palestinian Authority leaders also must end attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. U.S. officials said the moves have contributed to Hamas’ refusal to release Israeli hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, along with the breakdown of ceasefire talks.
“Before we take them seriously as partners in peace, the PA and PLO must completely reject terrorism and stop counterproductively pursuing the unilateral recognition of a hypothetical state,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Friday in a statement posted on X.
The U.S. will let the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the U.N. attend the general assembly meeting after an agreement was made with U.N. officials.
“The United States remains open to re-engagement that is consistent with our laws, should the PA/PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel,” the State Department said.
