US Extends Visa Sanctions on Palestinian Authority and PLO Officials
State Department says Palestinian leadership has failed to meet commitments on peace negotiations, international legal actions, and terrorism-related policies
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The United States will extend visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the US State Department announced on Wednesday, citing what it described as continued failures to meet commitments made to Washington.
In a September 16 media note, the State Department said it had reported to Congress that the PLO and PA had “once again” failed to comply with commitments under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.
The department said the failures included supporting actions at international organizations that Washington considers inconsistent with previous commitments related to UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as efforts to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Washington also cited Palestinian efforts to seek international recognition outside the framework of direct negotiations and what it described as the continued payment of stipends to individuals convicted of terrorism and the glorification of terrorism and terrorists in public statements and school textbooks.
Under the decision, the United States will continue denying visas to PLO members and PA officials pursuant to Section 604(a)(1) of the Middle East Peace Commitments Act.
US law provides for the denial of visas to PLO members and Palestinian Authority officials when the required compliance determination finds that the organizations have not met their specified commitments.
The State Department said it would maintain an existing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations, consistent with previous US determinations.
The department said the measures were intended to hold the PLO and PA accountable and to impose consequences for what it described as policies that undermine prospects for peace.
The 2002 legislation requires the US administration to report to Congress on whether the PLO and Palestinian Authority are complying with specified commitments. Where non-compliance is determined, the law provides for sanctions including visa restrictions.
The latest US action comes as Washington continues to condition aspects of its relationship with Palestinian institutions on their adherence to commitments concerning negotiations, terrorism and international diplomatic initiatives.
The decision also comes days before the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York and against the backdrop of growing international support for Palestinian statehood.
The United States took similar action last year, preventing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from attending the General Assembly in person.
The latest move also comes as several US allies have strengthened their support for Palestinian statehood and as the PA continues to pursue cases and initiatives through international institutions, including the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
Washington maintains that such steps bypass direct negotiations with Israel, while Palestinian officials have argued that decades of US-mediated negotiations have failed to deliver an independent Palestinian state.