In keeping with US law, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is revoking and denying visas for the approximately 80 officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ,ahead of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The State Department memo recommends the denial of visas to Palestinian officials set to journey to the UN General Assembly — including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — and revoke all visas issued prior to July 31.
The PLO and PA were sanctioned by the State Department on the same date for failing to comply with the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA).
“Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism (including their policy of ‘pay for slay’), lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.
There can never be any reward for terrorists. Denying visas to them is not a political maneuver and certainly not punishment. It is justice served, if only on a small scale.