The US did not issue visas to Palestinian officials, the conflict escalated

The US State Department has canceled visas for members of the Palestinian delegation expected to participate in the UN General Assembly. Following this decision, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and approximately 80 officials who were scheduled to accompany him were deprived of the opportunity to attend an international meeting in New York City in September.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Palestinian side of "disrupting the peace process" and "attempting to unilaterally recognize the State of Palestine." At the same time, the State Department explained the visa revocation as a "policy of non-incentivization of terrorism."

The Palestinian side assessed this step of the US as contrary to the international agreement on the UN headquarters adopted in 1947. Palestinian Foreign Minister's Advisor Ahmad al-Dik called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres and member states to pay serious attention to this issue.

According to global media, the US, as the host country of the UN headquarters, must create unhindered access for representatives of each country. Therefore, Washington's decision against Palestine is being criticized by many countries.

According to reports, France, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia may officially recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly meeting in September. In this regard, the controversial US decision is also interpreted as a step against the process of recognizing Palestine as a state.

The administration of President Donald Trump did not stop there, but in parallel suspended the program for receiving wounded children in the Gaza Strip.

As a reminder, the US has been providing unconditional financial, military, and diplomatic support to Israel since October 7, 2023, in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Washington also strongly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state. On April 18th of last year, the US vetoed a resolution on Palestine's full membership in the UN Security Council. Later, at an extraordinary meeting of the UN General Assembly, the US voted against the full accession of Palestine to the international organization.