Trump administration to deny and revoke Palestinian leadership visas
The Trump administration announced it will deny and revoke visas for leaders of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as a sanction until they stop promoting terrorism. The State Department accused the PA and PLO of encouraging terrorism, undermining peace efforts, and engaging in legal actions (“lawfare”) to bypass negotiations. These measures follow ongoing tensions, especially after the october 7 attacks, and the PA’s attempts to gain unilateral recognition through international courts. The sanctions exclude the PA mission to the United Nations but will remain until the PA and PLO demonstrate tangible steps toward peace and cooperation with Israel. This move continues a similar policy trend by the U.S. aimed at pressuring Palestinian leadership to change course, amid strained U.S.-PA relations under the Trump administration.
Trump administration to deny and revoke Palestinian leadership visas
The Trump administration on Friday announced that it would sanction Palestinian Authority leaders until they change course on the promotion of terrorism.
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott accused the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization of promoting terrorism, “undermining the prospects for peace,” and engaging in “lawfare.” In response, he said the State Department would be denying and revoking the visas of PA and PLO leadership members, though he didn’t specify who exactly.
“Before the PLO and PA can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism, including the October 7 massacre, and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO,” Pigott said.
“The PA must also end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC and ICJ, and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state. Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks,” he added.
However, Pigott said the United States would waive the sanctions for the PA Mission to the United Nations.
For the sanctions to be revoked, the PA/PLO must “meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel,” he concluded.
The State Department undertook a similar maneuver in July, blocking the issuance of new visas for unspecified PA/PLO officials.
The PA is largely reliant on U.S. support and funding, with the ruling PLO internationally viewed as a more moderate, pliable Palestinian alternative to the Islamists of Hamas. The PA, which rules the West Bank, cooperates with the Israeli government to root out Hamas militants and other terrorists within its territory. Israel’s aggressive tactics in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, have strained relations between the two.
The PA’s relationship with the U.S. has been further strained with President Donald Trump taking office. The administration’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict often puts it at odds with the PA, which it views as only slightly less radical than Hamas and unwilling to cooperate with Israel.
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