The US State Department announced Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was denying and revoking visas from Palestinian officials ahead of next month’s United Nations General Assembly.

The unprecedented step came a month after the State Department first announced that it would pursue the policy, which it now appeared to be implementing.

The US announcement did not name which individuals would be barred and if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was among them, though the New York Post cited an internal US State Department memo recommending that the visa ban be applied to him.

Explaining the seemingly unprecedented move, the State Department announcement said, “It is in our national security interests to hold the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace.”

Abbas’s office expressed its “deep regret and astonishment” at the US decision, which it said “stands in clear contradiction to international law and the UN Headquarters Agreement, particularly since the State of Palestine is an observer member of the United Nations.”

His office urged the US to reconsider and reverse the move, “reaffirming Palestine’s full commitment to international law, UN resolutions and obligations toward peace, as conveyed in President Mahmoud Abbas’s letters to world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.”

Under an agreement with the UN, the US is required to allow representatives of member states, officials working on behalf of the United Nations and those who received invitations to visit UN headquarters in New York City without hindrance. The State Department said it was in compliance with those requirements as it would still allow Palestinian diplomats already based in New York to attend the event by granting them visa waivers.

While the UN General Assembly recognizes a state of Palestine, it is designated as a non-member observer like the Vatican.

The US previously restricted the movement of foreign officials from adversarial countries such as........

© The Times of Israel