In his announcement on Friday, Rubio said, external: “Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism – including the October 7 massacre – and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.”
He said they must also end efforts to bypass negotiations by pursuing legal cases against Israel at international courts.
Rubio said Palestinian representatives at the UN mission in New York could attend the meetings in accordance with the UN Headquarters Agreement, external – the document that regulates issued regarding the operations of the UN in the US.
It is unclear, however, if the US move to deny or revoke visas complies with that document, which outlines that foreign officials’ attendance in New York shall not be impeded by the US “irrespective of the relations” between their respective governments and the US.
Apart from France, the UK, Canada and Australia have also announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the GA meeting next month.
The state of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the UN’s 193 member states.
But with no recognised borders, Israeli settlers controlling large parts of the West Bank – illegal under international law – and calls to do the same in Gaza, any recognition of a Palestinian state would not change much on the ground.