For the second time in two years, the United States has barred Palestinian Authority delegates and officials from attending the United Nations General Assembly (Sept. 8-28).
A Sept. 16 State Department media note similar in tone and content to one it released in July 2025 said the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the dominant force within the P.A., have failed to live up to their commitments, contradicting U.S. law.
Among the P.A.’s violations, the State Department listed its calling for action against Israel at international organizations, instigating the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) to pursue Israel, and bypassing negotiations by seeking unilateral recognition of statehood.
AFSI Insight
The U.S. decision to again restrict Palestinian Authority officials from attending the U.N. is a welcome acknowledgment that international lawfare, unilateral statehood campaigns and the glorification of terrorism cannot be treated as legitimate substitutes for negotiations. The PA’s continued efforts to pursue Israel through the ICC and other international bodies, while maintaining policies that reward terrorists and their families, demonstrate the need for meaningful consequences—not diplomatic accommodation.
AFSI supports holding the PA accountable and urges the United States to maintain pressure until Palestinian leadership genuinely ends terror payments and abandons its campaign to internationalize the conflict.