Washington Presses to Withdraw Palestinian Delegate's Nomination for UN Post

The United States has threatened to revoke the visas of members of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if Palestinian delegate Riyad Mansour refuses to withdraw his candidacy for the post of vice president of the United Nations General Assembly.

'Sensitive' diplomatic cable with a threatening nature

The administration of US President Donald Trump has issued strict and diplomatic directives to its embassy in occupied Jerusalem, through a secret and leaked cable to the US State Department, with the aim of informing the Palestinian side that the nomination of Ambassador Riyad Mansour for the post of deputy secretary-general of the United Nations is "fueling regional and international tensions".

Reuters quoted details of the May 19 cable, which carried an explicit warning of "serious consequences" for the mission if it continues with the candidacy process.

Washington's Fears of Palestine's Symbolic Influence

The US National Radio (NPR) reported in a report that the Trump administration's real concerns stem from the prospect of granting the Palestinians greater symbolic and political powers to the top UN post.

Washington's concerns are centered on the possibility of Mansour chairing and managing high-level sessions related to the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza, especially since the US cable described Ambassador Mansour as having a "record of accusing Israel of committing genocide," which could undermine Washington's peace plan.

Financial pressure and the threat of tax file

In this context,  the British newspaper "The Guardian" revealed other dimensions of the US pressure aimed at pushing the Palestinian side to withdraw the candidacy before the date of this May 22.

The newspaper explained that the diplomatic messages addressed to Ramallah included veiled hints that the continuation of what Washington calls the "internationalization of the conflict" through international courts and institutions will cast a negative shadow on other vital files, foremost of which is the Palestinian tax funds held by the Israeli side.

Review of visa waivers issued in 2025

In the body of its leaked cable, the US State Department recalled its decision issued in September 2025 to "cancel the visa sanctions" that were previously imposed on officials of the Palestinian mission in New York, clearly noting that "it would be unfortunate to have to reconsider any available options", in a clear reference to the possibility of reversing those facilities and imposing a diplomatic blockade on the movement of the delegation within US territory.

The June Elections and the Past Diplomatic Setback

These developments come at a time when Palestinians are running as "observer members" in the Asia-Pacific Group, which includes four candidates for the positions of vice presidents of the General Assembly scheduled for June 2 .

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the delegation has faced similar pressures, as the same reports confirmed that Ambassador Riad Mansour was forced to withdraw his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly last February under similar US pressure.