Rubio Blocks Visas For Palestinian Leaders, Including Abbas, Ahead Of UN Summit

A major Friday development has put the prospect of peace in Gaza and the West Bank even further away. The Trump administration has revoked visas for officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) – including PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

They were expected to attend upcoming high-level meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York next month, for the annual UN General Assembly. The action’s timing specifically impedes their ability to travel for the major gathering, at a moment there’s an international movement to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN.

“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,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement.

“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,” it added.

“The United States remains open to re-engagement should the PA/PLO demonstrably take concrete steps to return to constructive engagement. The Trump Administration does not reward terrorism,” the statement concluded.

According to more Trump admin officials:

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the sanctions were the result of Palestinian leaders “unilaterally declaring Palestinian statehood; glorifying violence; promoting antisemitism; and providing material support to terrorists (‘pay for slay’).”

Friday’s State Department memo also cited reports that Abbas was preparing to introduce a “constitutional declaration” declaring Palestinian independence at the General Assembly, which will host its General Debate Sept. 23-27.

A big focus of the State Dept in its denunciation of the PA, which is over the West Bank, is that it’s been backing international “lawfare campaigns” targeting Israeli officials.

The US is arguing that this has helped convince Hamas to not release the hostages, by seeking to create a groundswell of international criticism against the Netanyahu government. Historically, the PA/PLO is a political rival to Hamas, and is more secular and Left-leaning in its basic political ideology.

On the global stage, Israel’s reputation has been sinking, as more and more US allies plan to recognize a ‘state of Palestine’ at the September UN General Assembly meeting. France was among the first leading EU powers to announce this.

It seems the US is busy trying to preempt all this and fight back by its drastic action of blocking visas for Palestinian officials. Ironically, actions like ‘lawfare’ campaigns on the part of the PA is actually a form of peaceful action.