U.S. Denial of Visas: Washington Must Rethink Its Attempt to Block Palestinian Officials from U.N.

Editorial

16:42 JST, September 14, 2025

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that it will not issue visas to people linked to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

If things go on this way, the PA leaders and other relevant people will not be able to attend the U.N. General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York in late September to deliver an address and take other action. The United States should reconsider its unilateral measure.

In late August, the U.S. State Department said it had decided to deny visas for Palestinian applicants from a security standpoint and claimed that the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) were inciting terrorism through education. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is among those blocked from receiving a visa.

Multiple countries, including Group of Seven member states such as Britain, France and Canada, have indicated that they will recognize Palestine as a state at the U.N. General Assembly. Some people speculate that Abbas will declare Palestine’s independence at the U.N. General Assembly if he is able to attend.

The Trump administration, which is supporting Israel in its confrontation with Palestine, appears to have denied Palestinian entry to prevent a trend toward recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.

However, an agreement signed between the United States and the United Nations in 1947 stipulates that Washington must promptly issue visas when representatives of U.N. member states need them to visit the U.N. headquarters.

Palestine has been given “observer state” status by the United Nations, and last year Abbas once more attended the U.N. General Assembly. It is only natural that the United Nations urged the United States to reconsider its visa decision based on the agreement. Legitimate diplomatic activities at the United Nations should not be obstructed.

The United States also refused to grant a visa to then PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat when he sought to attend the U.N. General Assembly in 1988. At that time, the United Nations took the unusual step of holding part of its general assembly session in Switzerland.

Now it is considering having Abbas deliver his address online. Denying visas to Palestinians is unlikely to halt the trend surrounding Palestine. Rather, it may only heighten criticism of the United States and Israel.

There is growing momentum for recognizing Palestinian statehood, due in particular to escalation by Israel through reckless acts such as invading the Gaza Strip and causing the humanitarian situation there to deteriorate. The United States should demand Israel halt the fighting and allow the restart of humanitarian aid.

The Trump administration has shown extreme hostility toward international institutions, such as by disregarding the United Nations and imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court as it has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Japan must cooperate with European countries and other entities to defend such multilateral frameworks.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2025)