GENEVA - UN experts* today urged the United States to grant Palestinian leaders visas ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, and lift the discriminatory suspension of processing visitor visas for all Palestinian nationals.
"The General Assembly in New York is the epicentre of global diplomacy for peace, justice and human rights. Unilaterally excluding foreign leaders strikes at the heart of this vital mission. The US should maintain its long tradition of allowing access to the United Nations' headquarters as a neutral meeting place for peaceful dialogue," the experts said.
The US Secretary of State announced on 29 August that the US would deny and revoke visas for officials of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) until their organisations "repudiate terrorism - including the October 7 massacre". He also called to end "attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns", including appeals to the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, and "efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State".
"These measures violate the United States' international obligation to respect the right of individuals invited by the United Nations to travel to UN headquarters in New York," the experts said.
"The United Nations Headquarters Agreement of 1947 requires that visas 'shall be granted' by the United States, regardless of whether the US recognises Palestine as a State. The US cannot unilaterally impose exceptions or conditions on these obligations."
The United Nations recognises the State of Palestine as a non-Member observer State and, according to established practice, its officials must be permitted access to UN headquarters. As a self-determination movement under international law, the Palestine Liberation Organization has also been recognised since 1974 as entitled to participate in the General Assembly upon invitation.
"The exclusion of Palestinian officials directly interferes with upcoming debates at the General Assembly that are designed to advance the Palestinian right of self-determination under international law, which all countries, including the US, are required to respect," the experts said.
"The PLO and PA are not responsible for Hamas' attacks of 7 October 2023 and attempts to blame them must be rejected," they said.
The US has not denied visas to any Israeli officials accused of international crimes.
"Seeking to uphold international law through international courts is not 'lawfare', but an entirely legitimate means of pursuing peace and justice according to the international rule of law," the experts said.
The International Criminal Court is investigating allegations of international crimes by Israeli and Palestinian individuals. The US has unlawfully imposed sanctions on a number of people associated with it. In 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestine to be illegal and called for it to be brought to an end as soon as possible. The General Assembly has given a deadline of September 2025. The Court is currently considering a case alleging genocide by Israel in Gaza.
"Efforts to seek recognition of Palestinian Statehood are fully consistent with international law," the experts said. "For decades, the international community has recognised the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, including becoming a State. The General Assembly has recognised the State of Palestine as an observer State since 2012. All States are entitled to bilaterally recognise this legal and factual reality."
"Unilateral declarations of Statehood are not prohibited by international law," the experts said. "There is no legal obligation under international law to negotiate independence where self-determination has been forcibly denied by an occupying power for almost 60 years."
In August, the US also suspended the processing of visitor visas for Palestinians in Gaza, and later the West Bank and other countries, claiming national security concerns.
"These suspensions unlawfully discriminate on the basis of nationality, without any legitimate national security reasons, and stigmatise all Palestinians as somehow associated with terrorism," the experts said.
"We urge the US to restore its commitment to diplomacy through the UN by granting visas to Palestinian officials, and not to restrict participation to those with whom it agrees," the experts said. "Diplomacy offers the hope of peacefully settling even the most difficult disputes."
These concerns have been raised with the US Government.
