As preparations for the UN General Assembly intensify, the United States has taken action, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the helm. The measure involves the revocation of visas for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials, as well as the denial of several new visa applications. Palestinians have historically been represented at the UN General Assembly. A State Department source, who preferred to remain unidentified, revealed on Friday that the visa actions specifically impact Abbas and key figures within the Palestinian Authority.
This action by the US administration is occurring in the context of the Israeli military designating Gaza’s largest city a war zone. In related developments, the State Department has also suspended a program that facilitated medical treatment in the United States for injured Palestinian children from Gaza following public protests on social media.