Washington Cancels Visas for Palestinian Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly

SadaNews - The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that Secretary Marco Rubio has decided to deny and cancel visas for members of the Palestinian Authority ahead of the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for next September.

The State Department also stated that Washington will not grant visas to Palestinian officials to attend a UN conference on the two-state solution.

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According to the statement, Washington urged the Palestinian Authority to "stop its attempts to bypass negotiations through international legal warfare campaigns, including appeals to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and its efforts to secure unilateral recognition of a hypothetical Palestinian state," noting that "these two steps have contributed to Hamas's refusal to release its hostages and the collapse of ceasefire talks in Gaza."

The statement also added, "The United States remains open to re-engagement in accordance with its laws, provided that the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization fulfill their commitments and take tangible steps toward a constructive path to settlement and peaceful coexistence with Israel."