By Mustafa Ibrahim*
* This article first appeared in the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds on 31 August 2025. Translated for its readers by The Levant Files.
The brazen and outrageous behavior of the United States has reached a dangerous new level with its decision to revoke visas granted to officials of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization ahead of the UN General Assembly. This decision cannot be seen as a mere technical administrative measure; it is an assault on international law and the norms of relations between states. It violates the existing agreement between Washington and the United Nations, which obligates the host country to grant visas to delegations participating in the work of the international body.
Such conduct once again raises a fundamental question: Is the United Nations still an independent international institution, or has it become a hostage to the whims of its host country? Suppose the organization's headquarters has become a tool in Washington's hands for blackmail. In that case, serious consideration must be given to moving it to Geneva to protect its independence and guarantee its freedom to operate.
This ban goes beyond targeting specific individuals; it is an attempt to delegitimize the Palestinian leadership and force it into complete submission to the will of the White House and its understandings with Israel. The American justifications—from stopping what it calls "terrorism" and ending "incitement" to ceasing appeals to international courts—are nothing but pretexts to close off any political avenue that does not run through Washington and the occupying state.
The American message is not limited to the Palestinians. It is also directed at the Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, which has been leading a new political path and showing a willingness to make historic concessions in exchange for a settlement with Israel. With this decision, Washington is telling Riyadh: even your significant efforts will not succeed as long as you insist on granting the Palestinians a minimum level of international representation. In this way, the United States not only weakens the Palestinian position but also shakes its own standing among its "moderate" allies.
More dangerously, denying an entire people participation in the General Assembly strikes at the very core of the United Nations. If the host country can prevent legitimate delegations from entering, what remains of the principle of equality among peoples? This is no longer just a Palestinian issue; it concerns the credibility of the entire international organization and its status as a universal platform for all nations.
History repeats itself. In December 1988, Washington barred the late President Yasser Arafat from entering New York to deliver his speech. The General Assembly moved to Geneva, and 154 countries voted in favor of his right to speak. At the time, Arafat said that what happened was not a victory over America, but a victory for the will of the international community over unilateral power. Today, the question returns: will the world bow to American unilateralism, or will we witness a repeat of a new "Geneva moment"?
The Palestinian leadership must break free from its state of impotence and its policy of waiting for American approval. It must take escalatory internal steps, reform the PLO through a genuine national partnership, unify Palestinian ranks, and shed the delusion that it must fear a Washington that is actively working to strip Palestinians of their rights, diminish their right to self-determination, and shape their political system to serve Israel's interests.
Either the leadership becomes a hostage to perpetual US-Israeli blackmail, or it seizes this moment to rebuild its national and diplomatic strategy, free from foreign tutelage. As for the international community, it faces a no less critical test: to defend the independence of the United Nations and the right of peoples to representation, or to surrender to the transformation of the UN into a tool in the hands of the "world's policeman."
Photo: Generated by Gemini AI.