OMM Redaksiyası
The United States has extended visa restrictions on officials of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The State Department said the decision was linked to the PA and PLO’s failure to meet obligations set out in US legislation.
Washington accused the Palestinian leadership of seeking to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, as well as attempting to secure the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.
The State Department also said Palestinian officials had supported or praised terrorism and made payments to individuals convicted of attacks. The department said sanctions blocking visas for PLO members and PA officials would be extended because reforms had not been implemented.
The decision follows the US refusal or cancellation of visas for Palestinian officials last year, shortly before the UN General Assembly. The move prevented PA President Mahmoud Abbas from traveling to New York.
The UN General Assembly later voted by a wide margin to allow Palestine to participate remotely in the session, and Abbas delivered a prerecorded video address. This year’s restrictions have again raised questions about whether Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials will attend the session in person.
According to the US State Department, an exception remains in place for employees who are officially required to be notified to the PLO’s observer mission to the UN. The Palestinian Authority did not immediately issue a public response to the decision.
State Department spokesperson Paloma Chacon said the United States considers visa decisions a national security matter. She said this approach also covers applications related to participants in the General Assembly.
Palestine holds non-member observer state status at the UN and does not have voting rights in the General Assembly. The visa dispute comes amid Washington’s increasingly tough position toward the International Criminal Court.
