Particle.news
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

U.S. Pressure Prompts Palestinian Envoy to Withdraw UNGA Vice‑President Bid

Washington warned it could revoke visas to stop a Palestinian official from presiding over General Assembly sessions that it said might undermine the U.S. Gaza plan.

Riyad H. Mansour, Palestinian Permanent Observer to the United Nations, shakes hands with Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Permanent Representative of Panama to the UN, before a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., February 18, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
Riyad H. Mansour, Palestinian Permanent Observer to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council during the meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., February 18, 2026. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
Image

Overview

  • An internal State Department cable, reported Thursday, instructed U.S. diplomats in Jerusalem to tell Palestinian officials that Riyad Mansour’s vice‑presidency bid “fuels tensions” and could face visa consequences if not withdrawn.
  • The Palestinian mission formally withdrew Mansour’s nomination for a UN General Assembly vice‑president post, a step confirmed by the UNGA presidential office ahead of the June 2 election.
  • The cable noted Mansour had already dropped a previous candidacy for UNGA president after U.S. lobbying and warned a vice‑president could still preside over high‑profile Middle East sessions during UNGA81.
  • The State Department said it takes the U.N. Headquarters Agreement seriously but declined to comment on individual visa records, reflecting a tension between U.S. host‑country visa power and UN access obligations.
  • The episode follows earlier U.S. visa denials for senior Palestinian officials and could heighten diplomatic friction by limiting Palestinian representation at UN sessions and complicating U.S. efforts on its Gaza plan.