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<\/a><\/p>\nSecretary of State nominee, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The unprecedented move will prevent members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the\u202fPalestinian Authority from attending the General Debate where several countries, including Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom<\/a>, have announced plans to recognize Palestinian statehood.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump Administration has been clear: it is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,\u201d Rubio said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The move represents a major break with precedent. The United States typically allows foreign leaders to attend U.N. meetings even if they are on the outs with the U.S. government. Iranian officials and Russian officials have regularly attended meetings at the U.N., for example.<\/p>\n PA President Mahmoud Abbas said the revocation \u201cstands in clear contradiction to international law\u201d in a statement urging the United States to reconsider the move. Abbas was recommended to be included in the ban, according to an internal State Department memo obtained by the New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Abbas was also expected to attend a high-level meeting on Sept. 22 co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia about brokering a two-state solution.<\/p>\n Abbas, 89, is widely seen as essential to developing any plan for postwar governance in Gaza. He has shown willingness to have PA security forces cooperate with the Israeli security forces and, in June, condemned Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel for the first time.<\/p>\n In his statement, Rubio called on the PA to \u201cend its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state.\u201d<\/p>\n The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., Riyad Mansour, told reporters that he was assessing how the move would apply to his delegation, adding that they would \u201crespond accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, applauded the move. Israel opposes any efforts to create a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you <\/span>@SecRubio <\/span>for holding the \u2018PLO\u2019 and PA accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel,\u201d he tweeted. \u201cWe thank @POTUS <\/span>and the Administration for this bold step and for standing by Israel once again.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubio\u2019s move, announced on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, did not immediately ignite widespread reactions from Jewish groups. But it drew strong condemnation from Hadar Susskind, the president and CEO of New Jewish Narrative, a progressive Zionist organization.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump administration is doing more than just shooting itself in the foot. It is playing into the hands of Hamas,\u201d said Susskind in a statement. \u201cA better future for Israelis and Palestinians depends on the establishment of a Palestinian state. We want that state to be led by political factions that recognize Israel. That\u2019s who governs the Palestinian Authority. That\u2019s who the Trump administration is denying entry to.\u201d<\/p>\n