US Embassy Directed to Protest Palestinian UN Bid
The US government has instructed its embassy in Jerusalem to pressure Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to withdraw their candidacy for a vice-presidential role in the United Nations General Assembly. The concern is that securing this position could enable Palestinians to chair significant debates on Middle East issues.
A State Department cable dated 19 May, reviewed by , directed the US embassy to deliver a formal protest (démarche) to the PA leadership. The cable demanded the withdrawal of the bid by 22 May and warned that
“consequences will follow”if the request was not heeded.
US Opposition to Palestinian Statehood Efforts
The Trump administration, which has consistently opposed Palestinian moves toward statehood, is actively seeking to persuade the Palestinian observer mission at the UN to retract its candidacy for one of the 16 vice-presidential seats in the General Assembly. These positions are scheduled to be elected on 2 June, alongside the president of the assembly’s upcoming year-long session. According to the cable, the US mission has
“repeatedly appealed”to the Palestinians to withdraw their bid.
The cable expressed concern that
“in a worst case scenario, the next PGA [president of the general assembly] might assist the Palestinians in presiding over high-profile sessions related to the Middle East or during UNGA81 high-level week,”referring to a series of summits and leaders’ speeches planned for September in New York.
Palestinian Candidacy and Its Implications
The Palestinians are currently competing as one of four delegations within the Asia-Pacific group slate. While the vice-presidential role is less prominent than the presidency, the cable noted that vice-presidents can be deputized to oversee General Assembly sessions.
The communication highlighted that Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour, the long-serving representative of the Palestinian mission, withdrew his candidacy for General Assembly president in February following American lobbying efforts. The US viewed this as evidence that he
“understood the gravity of the issue and intended to be constructive.”
However, the cable warned that the current bid for the vice-presidency
“calls that into question”and accused the PA of prioritizing
“symbolic appointments”over substantive engagement. It stated that the candidacy
“undermines President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan,”referring to the administration’s 20-point proposal for a US-led reconstruction of Gaza, which includes the creation of a US-chaired Board of Peace.
The cable further stated,
“A bully pulpit for Mansour would not improve the lives of Palestinians and would significantly damage US relations with the PA. Congress will take it extremely seriously.”It added a clear warning:
“To be clear. We will hold the PA responsible if the Palestinian delegation does not withdraw its VPGA candidacy, and consequences will follow.”
Potential US Responses and Visa Threats
The cable suggested two specific threats to enforce compliance. It recalled that in August, prior to the previous UN summit week, the Trump administration denied and revoked all visas for Palestinian officials. However, a few days later, it waived restrictions for officials already assigned to the mission.
“It would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options,”the cable stated, implying a potential threat to again revoke visas for members of the Palestinian UN mission.
Additional Diplomatic Instructions
Separately, under a section titled “if raised”, US diplomats were instructed to remind the Palestinians that failure to
“engage in good faith without internationalizing disagreements in courts”would hinder their progress in recovering tax and customs revenue withheld by the Israeli government.
These funds constitute approximately 60% of the PA's total revenue and have been largely blocked since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023. The withholding is attributed to Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has openly called for the destruction of the PA. Smotrich was also revealed on Tuesday to be the subject of an arrest warrant request by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Although the specific charges were not detailed, Smotrich has been under ICC scrutiny due to his central role in expanding settlements and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank.
US State Department Response
The US State Department has been contacted for comment regarding these developments.
