Scholars’ visas are revoked

The United States has revoked the visas of three Palestinian Fulbright scholars whose cases were taken up personally by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after Israel refused to let them leave Gaza for interviews, officials said.

Visas for the three, along with a fourth Palestinian student from Gaza who had hoped to come to the U.S. under a different program, were approved after Rice intervened in June but were rescinded last week on the basis of “new information,” officials said.

State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the visas were canceled under a “prudential revocation” clause in immigration rules that allows them to be rescinded based on information gleaned about the holders after the visas were issued.