U.S. Threatens to Revoke Palestinian U.N. Delegation Visas Over Vice President Bid
A State Department cable instructs U.S. diplomats to pressure Palestinian officials to withdraw their candidacy for a U.N. General Assembly vice president role. The cable warns that failure to withdraw could result in visa revocation for the Palestinian delegation.
theyeshivaworld.comS. N. withdraws his run for vice president of the General Assembly. S. S. , or face possible consequences including visa revocation. S. cable, marked sensitive but unclassified, says Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour "has a history of accusing Israel of genocide," and that his bid "fuels tension" and undermines President Trump's peace plan for Gaza.
Background on Prior U.S. Actions Ahead of last year's U.N.
U.S. visas to top Palestinian officials, including President Abbas. N. "In September 2025, the Department made the decision to waive visa sanctions and other inadmissibilities for Palestinian officials assigned to the PLO's UN Observer Mission in New York. It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options," the May 19 cable says.
Hady Amr, who served as a senior State Department official on Palestinian affairs under the Obama and Biden administrations, criticized the decision to threaten visa restrictions. "Short of extreme situations like Russian espionage or election interference, using visa restrictions as you are reporting is extremely rare," Amr told NPR.
" Elections for the vice president roles are on June 2. S. officials have been repeatedly appealing to the Palestinian delegation not to run in that race.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
3 events- February 2026
Palestinian Ambassador Mansour withdrew a bid for president of the U.N. General Assembly.
1 sourceNPR - May 19, 2026
U.S. State Department issued cable threatening visa revocation over vice president candidacy.
1 sourceNPR - May 20, 2026
NPR obtained and reported on the May 19 State Department cable.
1 sourceNPR
Potential Impact
- 01
U.S. diplomats in Jerusalem will continue pressuring Palestinian officials this week.
- 02
Palestinian officials may withdraw their vice president candidacy before the June 2 vote.
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