The US State Department will extend visa sanctions against Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) ahead of the next UN General Assembly, it said.
The United States barred several Palestinians from attending last year’s General Assembly and prevented PA President Mahmoud Abbas from travelling to New York for the annual meeting of world leaders.
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In a statement, the State Department accused the PA and PLO of pursuing efforts “to internationalise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including through the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice”, as well as seeking the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.
The department said the organisations had “once again, failed to live up to their commitments”.
It also alleged that the groups supported “terrorists”.
Mahmoud Abbas last addressed the UN General Assembly in New York in 2024
Palestinian officials argue that decades of US-brokered negotiations have failed to end Israel’s occupation or deliver an independent Palestinian state.
Under the 1947 UN “headquarters agreement”, the US is generally expected to provide access to foreign diplomats travelling to the United Nations in New York.
Washington, however, maintains that it can refuse visas on grounds including security, extremism and foreign policy.
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 repeatedly focused on Palestinians, pro-Palestinian activists and critics of Israel, a close US ally.
Beyond US borders, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on officials of the International Criminal Court, including prosecutors and judges.
Washington condemned the court’s 2024 decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Inside the United States, the administration has sought to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, threatened to suspend university funding over demonstrations and introduced social media screening for immigrants.
The PA represents the Palestinian people at the United Nations, where its delegation is formally identified as the State of Palestine. It is not a full member and cannot vote in the General Assembly.
Instead, it holds observer-state status, the same designation held by the Holy See (Vatican).
