The Trump administration has halted the issuance of visas to holders of Palestinian passports, including those seeking to travel to the United States for medical treatment, university studies or family visits, The New York Times reported.
The move follows Washington’s earlier decision to deny visas to senior Palestinian officials — including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas — which could prevent him from addressing the U.N. General Assembly next month.
According to four American officials cited by the Times om Sunday, Palestinians will be barred from obtaining visas in multiple categories, including those intended for business travel. The administration has not explained the reasoning behind the decision. It does not apply to Palestinians who hold foreign passports, nor to those who already have valid visas. The State Department confirmed it had instructed U.S. diplomats to restrict the issuance of visas to Palestinians.
The decision to revoke the visas of Abbas and other Palestinian Authority leaders was announced Friday. It is based on provisions of the PLO Commitments Compliance Act, which states that the PA and the PLO have violated U.S. commitments by “unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state, encouraging violence, promoting antisemitism and supporting terrorism.” As a result, visa issuance is barred for at least 180 days.
Fox News reported that the American move to block the Palestinian delegation from entering the General Assembly is unprecedented. While the United States has previously denied entry to certain individual delegates, such as those from Iran, it has never barred an entire delegation. Internal guidance said the measure was necessary because PA leaders planned to push at the General Assembly for a “constitutional declaration” of independence — a step Washington views as a propaganda victory for Hamas and a threat to cease-fire talks in Gaza.
The State Department stressed that the U.S. “remains open to re-engagement — but only if the PLO and the Palestinian Authority uphold their commitments and take concrete steps to return to the path of compromise and coexistence with the State of Israel.”
European officials condemned the American decision and criticized the restrictions on participants in the upcoming assembly in New York. Luxembourg’s foreign minister denounced the move and proposed convening a special session of the General Assembly in Geneva to ensure Palestinian representatives could attend — echoing events in 1988, when the U.S. refused to grant a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat. That year, the assembly met in Geneva instead of New York so that Arafat could participate.