As world leaders prepare to converge on New York for the UN General Assembly, the US State Department says it will again broaden visa sanctions targeting Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
The United States denied visas to several Palestinians ahead of last year’s UN General Assembly and did not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York for the gathering of world leaders.
In its statement, the US State Department accused the PA and the PLO of pursuing efforts “to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including through the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice” and of seeking the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.
The department said that the PLO and PA had “once again, failed to live up to their commitments”.
“This includes initiating and supporting actions at international organisations that undermine and contradict prior commitments,” it said.
It also accused the groups of backing “terrorists”.
Mahmoud Abbas last addressed the UN General Assembly in New York in 2024
Palestinian officials say that decades of US-mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation and secure an independent Palestinian state.
Under the 1947 UN “headquarters agreement”, the US is generally obligated to provide access for foreign diplomats traveling to the United Nations in New York.
However, the US has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
The State Department said it “has maintained the standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations.”
President Donald Trump’s policies have regularly targeted Palestinians, pro-Palestinian voices and critics of Israel, a US ally.
Internationally, the Trump administration has sanctioned International Criminal Court officials, including prosecutors and judges.
The court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s assault on Gaza drew criticism from Washington.
Domestically, the Trump administration has attempted to deport pro-Palestinian foreign protesters, threatened a funding freeze for universities over protests and enforced social media screening for immigrants.
The PA, which represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where the delegation is officially known as the State of Palestine, is not a full member and has no vote in the General Assembly.
They are an observer state holding the same status as the Holy See (Vatican).
