US threatens visa revocations over Palestinian UN General Assembly leadership bid

The Trump administration has warned that it may revoke visas for Palestinian Authority (PA) officials serving at the UN if PA envoy Riyad Mansour does not withdraw his candidacy for vice president of the UN General Assembly, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

U.S. diplomats at the embassy in Jerusalem have reportedly been instructed to tell the PA that Mansour’s bid “fuels tensions” and undermines President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

"To be clear, we will hold the PA responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy," an internal State Department cable stated, referring to the vice president position in the PA, which is headquartered in Ramallah and exercises limited self-rule in parts of Judea and Samaria (West Bank).

The Palestinian Authority’s UN mission has so far refrained from responding to the leaked cable report.

"We take seriously our obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases."

In February, Mansour withdrew his General Assembly (UNGA) presidential bid following reported pressure from the United States and Israel. At the time, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon condemned the PA’s bid, describing it as “yet another attempt to turn the UN General Assembly into a political circus against Israel and to bolster the status of the Palestinian delegation through the back door.”

“Instead of promoting the goals of the United Nations and preserving the unifying character of the General Assembly, there was a cynical attempt to turn it into a platform for anti-Israel propaganda,” Danon added.

Hamas’ refusal to disarm, as required under the ceasefire brokered by Washington in October 2025, has complicated the implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Some analysts believe that after withdrawing its UNGA presidential bid, the PA may have assessed that Washington would not object to Ramallah’s attempt to secure the lower-profile vice-presidential post. However, the position would still allow the PA to preside over UNGA sessions, which tend to be highly politicized and often critical of Israel.

"Therefore, there is still a risk that the Palestinians could preside over GA sessions during UNGA81 unless they withdraw from the race," the cable stated, referring to UNGA's annual convention in September.

"In a worst-case scenario, the next PGA [GA president] might assist the Palestinians in presiding over high-profile sessions related to the Middle East or during UNGA81 high-level week," the report added.

The UNGA’s election for president and 15 vice presidents is scheduled for June 2. The PA does not hold full UN membership and is therefore not eligible to vote in the 193-member General Assembly. Instead, it holds observer status at the UN, similar to the Holy See (Vatican).