Canada called for dialogue between Israel and Palestinian representatives after the Trump administration said Friday it was denying and revoking U.S. visas from members of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The move comes ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly, where Canada and several other countries have said they intend to officially recognize a Palestinian state.
The U.S. State Department cited the groups’ efforts to secure statehood recognition at the UN, along with their appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to investigate alleged Israeli crimes in Gaza, as reasons for the decision by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” the department said in a statement.
“The 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.”
The statement did not name the officials being denied entry, but the Associated Press and Reuters reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — who was set to travel to New York for the UN gathering — is among the people targeted.
Both outlets cited a U.S. State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Global News has not independently confirmed the reports.
The Palestinians’ ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters at the UN headquarters shortly after the decision was announced that they were checking exactly what the U.S. move means “and how it applies to any of our delegation, and we will respond accordingly.”
Representatives assigned to the Palestinian Authority mission at the UN, led by Mansour, will be granted waivers so they can continue their New York-based operations, the U.S. statement said.
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Abbas’ office expressed “deep regret and astonishment” over the visa decision in a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, which did not say if Abbas’ visa had been revoked or denied.
The statement argued the move violated the UN’s “headquarters agreement,” under which the U.S. is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats attending UN meetings in New York.
Washington has said it can deny visas for security, terrorism or foreign policy reasons. The U.S. State Department cited “national security interests” behind its decision Friday.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also cited the headquarters agreement and said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the U.S. State Department.
“We obviously hope that this will be resolved,” he said. “It is important that all member states, permanent observers be able to be represented.”
Mansour said Abbas still intends to lead the delegation to the high-level meetings and is expected to address the General Assembly — as he has done for many years — and attend a meeting in New York on Sept. 22 on a two-state solution co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to New York and address the general assembly on Sept. 23, the White House said on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to speak.
Canada, Britain, Australia and France in recent weeks have announced or signalled their intention to recognize a Palestinian state during the meeting.
The countries have said their recognition is conditional on the Palestinian Authority — which has limited self-rule over parts of the occupied West Bank and has for years been positioning itself as a legitimate government alternative to Hamas in Gaza — undergoing reforms and new elections.
Abbas has committed to taking those actions, the Prime Minister’s Office said after Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with the Palestinian leader in July.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization is an internationally recognized coalition that represents Palestinian people in its occupied territories and abroad.
A Global Affairs Canada spokesperson said Canada continues to recognize both groups and reaffirmed its commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Dialogue and diplomacy involving both Israel and the PA, including at international forums like UNGA, are essential for advancing this objective,” the department said in a statement to Global News.
“Canada stands ready to work with our international partners, including the United States, towards a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can live side-by-side in peace and security.”
The Trump administration has staunchly backed Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. The U.S. has also refused to condemn expanded Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which Canada and other allies have said undermine two-state solution efforts.
Rubio hosted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Washington on Wednesday “to reaffirm our two nations’ close cooperation,” the U.S. secretary said in a post on X.
Saar, asked after the meeting what the plan was for a Palestinian state, said there would not be any.
The Israeli minister on Friday thanked Rubio for holding the PA and PLO “accountable for rewarding terrorism, incitement and efforts to use legal warfare against Israel” in a social media statement.
Officials with the Palestinian Authority reject that they’ve undermined peace prospects.
In June, Abbas wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron in which he condemned the Hamas attack and called on hostages taken by the militant group to be released.
Hamas earlier this month said it had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal on a ceasefire in Gaza that would see the release of some hostages in exchange for talks with Israel that would end the conflict and see the return of all remaining hostages.
But Israel has said it will only accept the full return of all the hostages and has pressed ahead with a plan to occupy Gaza City, which international monitors like the UN have warned could worsen a famine already afflicting the Palestinian territory.
Rubio last week announced sanctions against multiple International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors involved in the court’s investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza and the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.
—With files from Reuters and the Associated Press
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