The US under Trump administration has imposed visa restrictions on unnamed officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), accusing them of obstructing peace efforts with Israel, according to a report published by Reuters on Thursday. The move comes as key American allies, including Canada, France, and the UK — are pushing toward recognising Palestinian statehood at the United Nations in September.
“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” a release from the US State Department read.
Accusations of Terror Support and ICC Moves
The State Department said the PA and PLO had “taken actions to internationalise” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by engaging with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and “continued to support terrorism.” While the US did not name specific individuals, the visa ban is intended to restrict travel to the US for targeted members.
The PA and PLO – both widely regarded as representative bodies for the Palestinian people – have not yet commented on the sanctions.
Split Within the West Over Palestinian Statehood
As Washington doubles down on sanctions, its G7 partners appear to be changing course. Canada only recently announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. France and the UK signalled similar support last week, with Britain stating that it would back Palestinian recognition if fighting in Gaza doesn’t end by then.
US President Donald Trump has vehemently opposed the move, arguing that recognising Palestinian statehood would “reward Hamas,” the militant group involved in the conflict with Israel.
Israel Welcomes Move; Questions Remain
Israel, meanwhile, applauded the US action, with Israeli foreign Minister Gideon Saar calling it “moral clarity”, and adding that the sanctions “expose the moral distortion of certain countries that ran to recognise a virtual Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to its support for terror,” as reported by Reuters.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott reportedly said the sanctions stemmed from a routine biannual compliance review and were not necessarily tied to recent statehood announcements, and that waivers may be “issued case-by-case”.
How this will affect Palestinian diplomats remains to be seen. The 1947 UN headquarters agreement typically guarantees access for foreign diplomats. However, the US can deny entry on national security or foreign policy grounds, the report said.
Gaza War and Peace Talks
The sanctions follow a UN conference led by France and Saudi Arabia to revive two-state solution talks. The US and Israel did not attend. Meanwhile, US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in efforts to revive Gaza ceasefire discussions.
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel — which reportedly killed 1,200 people — Israel’s offensive in Gaza has claimed lives of over 60,000 people, and displaced nearly the entire population, leading global agencies to issue warnings of famine in the war-ravaged territory.
ALSO READ: Trump’s Top Aides to Inspect Gaza Food Aid Distribution as Death Toll Rises
