On August 30, 2025, the United States announced that it would refuse or revoke visas for Palestinian officials planning to attend next month's United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the move by accusing Palestinian leadership of undermining peace efforts and attempting to achieve "unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state."
This decision is noteworthy because, as the host country of the UN, the US is typically expected to facilitate the travel of foreign officials to attend UN meetings. However, this latest action signals a departure from that standard practice.
The US decision comes at a time when France is leading international efforts to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming UNGA session. This contrasts sharply with the stance taken by the administration of former President Donald Trump, which strongly supported Israel and opposed any recognition of Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected the notion of a two-state solution, which envisions an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Netanyahu has argued that recognizing a Palestinian state would reward "Hamas’s monstrous terrorism."
This debate is particularly poignant following the violent escalation between Israel and Hamas. In October 2023, Hamas led an attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the taking of 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza. As of August 2025, the Hamas-run health ministry reports that over 63,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of the ongoing conflict.
While the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank are divided in governance—Hamas controls Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority (PA), led by President Mahmoud Abbas, governs the West Bank—Abbas also heads the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO has held observer status at the UN since 1974, allowing it to participate in meetings but not vote on resolutions.
In his announcement on Friday, Secretary Rubio stated: “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 violence in education, as mandated by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.” He further emphasized the need for the Palestinian leadership to cease efforts to bypass direct negotiations by pursuing legal actions against Israel at international courts.
The US also clarified that Palestinian representatives stationed at the UN mission in New York would still be allowed to participate in UN meetings in accordance with the UN Headquarters Agreement, which governs the operations of the UN in the US. However, the legality of the US's decision to block or revoke visas for Palestinian officials has been called into question. The agreement states that the US should not obstruct the attendance of foreign officials at the UN, regardless of diplomatic relations between their governments and the US.
In addition to France, countries such as the UK, Canada, and Australia have also expressed support for recognizing a Palestinian state at the upcoming UNGA session. Currently, 147 out of the 193 UN member states recognize the state of Palestine. However, the lack of defined borders, the Israeli control of much of the West Bank (which is considered illegal under international law), and ongoing disputes over Gaza's future mean that the recognition of Palestine may not significantly alter the realities on the ground.
Source: theghanareport.com
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