US to refuse visas to Palestinian Authority officials

Washington: The United States said Thursday it would deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials, accusing the body which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank of seeking to “internationalise” the situation.

The organisation is “taking actions to internationalise its conflict with Israel such as through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ),” the State Department said, also accusing the Palestinian Authority of “continuing to support terrorism.”

The statement did not specify who was being targeted, only saying it would “deny visas” to “members” of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and “officials” from the Palestinian Authority.

The measures against the PA, whose leader Mahmoud Abbas has been widely recognised for years as a key partner in efforts to resolve the conflict, come as growing numbers of countries consider recognising a Palestinian state.

Canada and France are among the latest nations to announce they will grant recognition during the UN General Assembly meeting which takes place in September in New York.

The US visa denials could possibly complicate attendance to the meeting by Palestinian leaders.

The PA is a civilian ruling authority in areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where about three million Palestinians live - as well as around half a million Israelis occupying settlements considered illegal under international law.

Hamas governs the separate Gaza Strip area, which has been engulfed in a devastating Israeli military campaign ever since the militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The United States is also ratcheting up pressure on the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.