USA Close doors to Palestinian voices in the UN

On the eve of the UN Assembly, the US expands restrictions and weaken Palestinian participation in one of the most important forums of global diplomacy

The United States government has announced that it will deny or revoke visas from members of the Palestine and Palestinian Authority (PLA) and the UN General Assembly, scheduled for September. The decision was communicated by the US State Department on Friday (29, with justifications that reflect the attitude of the Donald Trump administration regarding the Palestinian leaders.

According to the statement, “the Trump administration was clear: it is our national security interest to account for PLO and AP for not fulfilling their commitments and for undermining the prospects of peace.” Washington argues that Palestinian representatives would not have consistently repudiated acts of violence, mentioning Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel.

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The declaration also accuses the Palestinian authority to seek alternatives outside the negotiation tables by appealing international instances such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (CIJ). In these cuts, the Palestinian leaders denounced Israel’s human rights violations in the occupied West Bank and during the military offensive in Gaza – actions that, according to UN experts, would configure genocide.

Both AP, which has limited authority in part of the West Bank, and the PLO, recognized worldwide as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, have defended the recognition of a Palestinian state in the international scene for decades. This performance, however, has generated friction with Washington, especially under Trump management, which had already imposed sanctions on Palestinian authorities on charges of “glorification of violence” and compromising the chances of peace.

It is still unclear which Palestinian members the restriction measure will apply. In UN meetings, Palestine delegations are often numerous, including representatives of the permanent mission with the organization. The State Department, however, assured that there will be exceptions for this mission, currently headed by Ambassador Riyad Mansour, who maintains observer status in the United Nations.

The decision occurs in a moment of growing tension in the international debate on the Middle East conflict and should add another chapter to the diplomatic disputes surrounding the stage of the General Assembly, where the recognition of the Palestinian State is a recurring and sensitive theme for the international community.

Speaking to reporters shortly after the announcement, Mansour stated that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas maintains his intention to attend the General Assembly, which will have a special segment dedicated to Palestinian rights on September 22. He stressed, however, that it is not yet known whether the US decision could directly affect Abbas’s trip.

“We will see exactly what this means and how it applies to anyone of our delegation and we will respond properly,” said Mansour.

From Washington, the correspondent Alan Fisher of Al Jazeera, recalled that, as a host country, the US has an obligation to grant visas to official Member States and Observers of the UN. “This will be controversial,” he explained. “When the United Nations were created in 1947 and headquartered in New York, it was agreed that, effectively, US immigration policies would not affect people who wanted to go there on an official mission.”

Despite this principle, Washington has already prevented visits from authorities on other occasions. In 1988, then -leader Yasser Arafat was prevented from entering the country to speak in the UN. Decades later, in 2013, the US also denied seen to Omar Al-Bashir, then president of Sudan, who was the target of arrest warrants of the International Criminal Court.

Fisher pointed out, however, that the current situation can expose contradictions. “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also sought by the International Criminal Court. However, he is expected to be here in New York next month.”

Washington’s decision promises to further intensify the diplomatic climate behind the scenes of the General Assembly. On the one hand, he questions the participation of Palestinian leaders in a crucial forum for his historical claims. On the other hand, it reinforces criticism that the US use its UN thirst condition selectively, in line with its political interests in the Middle East conflict

Editor’s Note: With this decision, the world must react by transferring the UN headquarters to another country, preferably in Asia. For Shanghai or Beijing, for example. This act is a definitive act that the United States no longer has moral, cognitive and geopolitical conditions to open the international community of nations.