US extends visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials, PLO members

The US State Department said on Wednesday it would extend visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly.

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, where several US allies recognised Palestine as a state.

The 193-member United Nations General Assembly is due to vote on Thursday to allow Abbas to submit a video statement for the annual gathering next week. Abbas addressed the General Assembly via video last September.

In its statement on Wednesday, the State Department accused the PA and PLO of taking actions "to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including through the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice" and to seek the "unilateral recognition" of a Palestinian state. It also accused the groups of backing "terrorists".

Palestinian officials say that decades of US-mediated talks have failed to end Israeli occupation and secure an independent Palestinian state.

Under a 1947 UN "headquarters agreement", the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York.

However, Washington 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."

Internationally, the Trump administration has sanctioned International Criminal Court officials, including prosecutors and judges. This follows 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.

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 Palestinian Authority, 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 Vatican.