Washington (QNN)- The US is reportedly threatening to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the UN unless the Palestinian ambassador to the UN withdraws his candidacy for vice-president of the UN General Assembly.
NPR reported on Thursday that US State Department cable obtained by the publication instructed US diplomats in Jerusalem on Tuesday to pressure Palestinian officials to withdraw their bid ahead of the elections scheduled on 2 June for one of the assembly’s 21 vice-president posts.
The cable accused Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador, of having a history of "accusing Israel of genocide" and claimed that his candidacy "fuels tension" and undermines US President Donald Trump's plans for Gaza.
"A bully pulpit for Mansour would not improve the lives of Palestinians and would significantly damage U.S. relations with the PA [Palestinian Authority]. Congress will take it extremely seriously," the cable said.
In February, Mansour withdrew his candidacy for the presidency of the UN General Assembly after US lobbying, according to the US cable.
The US last year refused visas of PA President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other senior Palestinian officials for the UN General Assembly in New York.
The decision came after several Western countries announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state during the annual gathering.
The US said its decision was based on the PA’s support for the war crimes and genocide cases against Israel and some of its officials at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Abbas’ office said the decision violated the UN “headquarters agreement”, which requires the US, as host of the UN in New York, not to refuse visas for officials travelling to the world body for the General Assembly.
Accoridng to the Guardian, the cable suggested using two specific threats, the first revoking the visas for Palestinian officials.
Separately, under a section titled “if raised”, US diplomats were instructed to remind the Palestinians if they did not “engage in good faith without internationalizing disagreements in courts” they would make no progress in recouping tax and customs revenue owed to them but withheld by the Israeli occupation government.
The funds, which account for 60% of the Palestinian Authority’s revenue, have been largely blocked since the start of the Gaza genocide in October 2023 by Israel’s far right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. He has called for the destruction of the authority, and said on Tuesday that the international criminal court was seeking an arrest warrant against him.
