When Donald Trump named then-Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to serve as his secretary of State, I loved the pick, but I felt as though I was in the minority on this one.
I have always believed Rubio to be a master politician, and his previous foreign policy experience led me to believe he was the perfect fit to complement Trump’s brash nature on the world stage.
Rubio has truly delivered, at least in my eyes, and he just did it again, denying visas for Palestinian leaders who were set to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
The Gaza Strip has been ruled by Hamas since June 2007.
During the Gaza War, the Palestinian Authority (PA) had lost most of the territory, with Hamas eventually taking complete control.
After the takeover, the Hamas government was rejected by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, but the group's leaders did not recognize the dismissal from Abbas and continued to rule Gaza.
Since gaining control of Gaza, Hamas has escalated its violence against Israel, with Palestinians never stepping up to help defeat Hamas.
That is the day that Hamas committed arguably the second-worst atrocity against the Jewish people in history.
The terror attack against Israel led to the deaths of more than 1,000 innocent people, including elderly individuals and children, with hundreds of hostages being taken, including women.
Many of those women were raped, tortured, and killed. They are still negotiating the release of the few hostages that remain alive, with new horrors emerging every day.
Throughout this latest conflict, Palestine, again, has refused to help Israel rid Gaza and Palestine of Hamas. And if you are not helping remove terrorists, then it is an easy jump to say you are supporting them.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott announced Rubio’s decision, stating, "In compliance with the laws and national security interests of the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is denying and revoking visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly.”
He continued, "Before they can be taken seriously as partners for peace, the PA and PLO must repudiate terrorism, lawfare campaigns at the ICC and ICJ, and the pursuit of unilateral recognition of statehood.”
Pigott concluded, “The PA Mission to the UN will receive waivers per the UN Headquarters agreement. The United States remains open to re-engagement should the PA/PLO demonstrably take concrete steps to return to constructive engagement. The Trump Administration does not reward terrorism."
This is pure brilliance on Rubio’s part, and I support it 100%. I have been adamant throughout this war that if you are not helping rid the world of terrorists, you support terrorism. And in the case of Palestine, I have even gone so far as to call it a terrorist state for its refusal to fight against Hamas.
