Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rebuked on Saturday his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prévot over the latter’s support for the Palestinian Authority, saying that it “serves only the interests of the terrorists, not dialogue, not peace.”
The P.A. has never stopped compensating Palestinian terrorists and their families and inciting violence against the Jewish state, policies that stand in clear violation of its diplomatic commitments, Sa’ar tweeted.
“Therefore, your support for a Palestinian state is clearly a support of a terror state, a basis for further attacks on Israel and October 7-like atrocities,” Israel’s top diplomat continued, referring to the Hamas-led massacre in 2023.
Sa’ar said that instead of criticizing the United States over its decision to deny visas to Palestinian representatives ahead of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Belgium should focus on the P.A.’s “legal warfare against Israel.”
Your unbalanced blind support of the Palestinians serves only the interests of the terrorists, not dialogue, not peace.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) August 30, 2025
You consistently ignore the facts:
The “pay for slay” laws in the PA rewarding terrorists and their families for terror, the terrible incitement in their… https://t.co/BJdYTejWYs
On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced that it is denying new visas and revoking old ones from individuals associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, ahead of the U.N. General Assembly annual debate on Sept. 9-23.
“The Trump administration has been clear: It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and P.A. accountable for not complying with their commitments and for undermining the prospects for peace,” read a memo. “Before the PLO and P.A. can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism, including the Oct. 7 massacre, and end incitement to terrorism in education.”
The department, headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, rescinded the visas of P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other Palestinian officials, according to the Associated Press.
Prévot, who also serves as the deputy prime minister, attacked Washington’s decision, tweeting that it is a “blow to diplomacy.”
“At a moment when there is a renewed momentum toward a two-state solution—with concrete commitments being made and international support growing—hindering the Palestinian voice is not only unjust, it is counterproductive,” the Belgian minister claimed.
“Excluding Palestinian representatives undermines the very principles of multilateralism and international law,” he said.
P.A. presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told AP in Ramallah on Saturday: “We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation.
“We have been in contact since yesterday with Arab and foreign countries, especially those directly concerned with this issue. This effort will continue around the clock,” Abu Rudeineh said.
A high-level conference in New York on Sept. 22, led by France and Saudi Arabia, is slated to discuss ideas on how to revive the two-state solution, AP reported.
P.A. diplomatic staff will continue to operate in New York, but senior figures are banned from entry.
The last time the U.S. denied visa to a Palestinian leader was in 1988 under the Reagan administration. PLO chairman and terror master Yasser Arafat was denied entry into the U.S., drawing global protests. The General Assembly’s annual meeting eventually took place in Geneva.
