US planning to threaten to revoke visas of Palestinian delegation if its envoy seeks senior UN post

The US is planning to threaten to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the UN if the mission’s envoy submits his candidacy for the vice presidency of the General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable leaked to the media.

In a cable dated Wednesday and first reported by NPR, US diplomats in its embassy in Jerusalem are instructed to deliver the message that Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour’s general assembly bid “fuels tensions” and risks undermining Trump’s Gaza peace plan and would therefore face consequences from Washington if it went ahead.

A US official tells The Times of Israel that the message hasn’t actually been passed on to Ramallah as the Palestinian mission hasn’t even submitted its candidacy yet and it’s not even clear if it will.

“To be clear, we will hold the [Palestinian Authority] responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy,” the cable, marked sensitive but unclassified, says.

Last year, US President Donald Trump’s administration refused to grant visas to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the UN General Assembly in opposition to its plan to participate in an event promoting a two-state solution and the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. The far-reaching step has typically been reserved for use against Washington’s most bitter adversaries.

“It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options,” the Wednesday cable says.

Asked for comment, the State Department doesn’t deny the cable’s existence, but refuses to comment on its contents.

“We take seriously our obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement,” the State Department says. “Due to visa record confidentiality, we have no comment on Department actions with respect to specific cases.”

The Palestinian mission to the UN declines to comment.

Mansour had already withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly as a result of US lobbying in February, the cable says, while adding that if elected to the lower-profile vice presidency, he could still get to preside over General Assembly sessions.

“Therefore, there is still a risk that the Palestinians could preside over GA sessions during UNGA81 unless they withdraw from the race,” the cable says, referring to the UN General Assembly’s 81st annual high-level week due to be convened in September.

“In a worst-case scenario, the next PGA might assist the Palestinians in presiding over high-profile sessions related to the Middle East or during UNGA81 high-level week,” it says.

The election of the UN General Assembly president and the 16 delegations that will serve as vice presidents will be held on June 2.

The Palestinian Authority, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly.

They are an observer state, holding the same status as the Holy See (Vatican).