The U.S. State Department's announcement on Friday barring senior Palestinian officials from attending the UN General Assembly is an unprecedented move. It reflects not only the Trump administration's full alignment with Israel's campaign to delegitimize the Palestinian Authority, but also a blatant show of disregard for the United Nations itself.

The US, as a host of the UN, is not supposed to refuse visas for officials heading to the world body.

State Dept cites Palestinian appeals to ICC and ICJ over Israeli abuses in occupied territory in justifying move.