US hits Palestinian Authority officials with visa ban over statehood recognition
The United States said Thursday it would deny visas to Palestinian Authority officials, as US allies move to recognize Palestinian statehood.
The sanctions come after several states, including France and Canada, announced they would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, infuriating Israel and the United States.
The US visa denials could complicate attendance at the meeting by Palestinian leaders.
France and Saudi Arabia sponsored this week a UN conference designed to resurrect the decades-old idea of a two-state solution, with the argument that only Israeli and Palestinian states co-existing side by side can bring peace to the Middle East.
Read More: UAE begins Gaza water pipeline project
The United States, which rejects any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, called the conference an insult to people killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas surprise attack that triggered the ongoing Israeli military operation throughout Gaza.
The State Department did not specify who was being targeted in this new action, only saying it would deny visas to "members" of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and "officials" from the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The organizations are "taking actions to internationalize its conflict with Israel such as through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ)," the State Department said in a statement.
It also accused the groups of "continuing to support terrorism including incitement and glorification of violence," and of "providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families."
The United States in June announced sanctions against four judges at the ICC, saying their indictment of Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza was politically oriented.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the new US sanctions, saying the gesture displayed "moral clarity."
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas has been widely recognized for years as a key partner in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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 Gaza Strip.
The PLO is an umbrella grouping of Palestinian organizations but does not include Hamas, which took power in Gaza in 2007. Founded in 1964, it was led for decades by Yasser Arafat.
Also read: Britain warns Israel it will recognise Palestinian state as Gaza starvation spreads
Arab and Western countries want the currently weak Palestinian Authority to have some role in governing Gaza once the war ends.
President Donald Trump is an unconditional supporter of Israel and has met at the White House three times with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since returning to power in January, even as Trump seeks an elusive ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States has criticized the Palestinian Authority as ineffective and corrupt.
Saar echoed the State Department, accusing the Palestinian Authority of paying "terrorists" and their families for attacks against Israeli targets and of inciting people against Israel in schools, textbooks, mosques, and Palestinian media.
"This important action by President Trump and his administration also exposes the moral distortion of certain countries that rushed to recognize a virtual Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to the PA's support for terrorism and incitement," Saar wrote on X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israel considers full Gaza takeover as more die of hunger
TEL AVIV/CAIRO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favours a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, media reported, and was to meet senior security officials on Tuesday to finalise a new strategy in the 22-month war. Mediation between Israel and Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a ceasefire to ease hunger and appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian enclave. Eight more people died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said, while another 79 died in the latest Israeli fire. Netanyahu was to meet Defence Minister Israel Katz and military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to decide on a strategy to take to cabinet later this week, an Israeli official told Reuters. Strategic Affairs Minister Rob Dermer, a confidant of Netanyahu, would also be present. Israel's Channel 12, citing an official from Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was leaning towards taking control of the entire territory. That would reverse a 2005 decision to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders, a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there. US envoy tells Israeli hostage families he is working on plan to end Gaza War It was unclear, however, whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages. The prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Channel 12 report. A Palestinian official said it may be a tactic to pressure Hamas into concessions, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry urged foreign nations to take heed of the reports. 'The ministry urges countries and the international community to treat these leaks with utmost seriousness and to intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether these leaks are meant to exert pressure, test international reactions, or are genuine and serious,' it said. Strained military Israel's coalition government, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate for the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland. Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors Nearly two years of fighting in Gaza has strained the military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel fully occupying Gaza and establishing military rule. In a sign of differences between some members of Israel's ruling coalition and the military, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X challenged military head Zamir to state he would comply with government directives even if a decision was made to take all of Gaza. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar then said the military chief must give his professional opinion, while Defence Minister Katz weighed in to say the military would professionally implement whatever policy the government set. 'Defeating Hamas in Gaza, while creating the conditions for the return of the hostages, are the central goals of the war in Gaza, and we must take all necessary actions to achieve them,' Katz said. Israel's military response has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 61,000 people - mostly civilians - according to Palestinian health authorities. UK rejects criticism that move to recognise Palestinian state rewards Hamas Hunger Israel's campaign has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine. Some 188 Palestinians, including 94 children, have died from hunger since the war began, according to Gaza authorities. An Israeli security official, in a briefing to reporters, acknowledged there may be hunger in some parts of Gaza but rejected reports of famine or starvation. International anger at the suffering in Gaza has prompted several countries to recognise or announce their intention to recognise Palestine as an independent state. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive. Palestinians living in the last quarter of territory where Israel has not yet taken military control - via ground incursions or orders for civilians to leave - said any new push would be catastrophic. 'If the tanks pushed through, where would we go, into the sea? This will be like a death sentence to the entire population,' said Abu Jehad, a Gaza wood merchant. The failed mediation in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Opposition slams govt for Kashmir-like treatment at home
Listen to article The Opposition in the Punjab Assembly lambasted the government for its double standards, stating that, on one hand, it expresses solidarity with Kashmiris against their mistreatment and cruelty, but on the other hand, it subjects the Opposition to similar treatment. Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, condemned the act of setting fire to houses, banks, and state properties under the guise of a protest or rally. Speaking to journalists, he said, 'Peaceful protest is everyone's right, but turning such an event into chaos and violence cannot be allowed under any circumstances.' He added that August 5 is the day of 'Youm-e-Istehsal' (Day of Exploitation), and everyone should stand by the Kashmiris. However, PTI created division by announcing protests on August 14, a national day. 'Today, the focus should have been on voicing against the cruelty towards the people of Palestine and Kashmir, rather than damaging the national cause under the guise of protests,' Speaker Khan warned. He further stated that turning protests into anarchy is unjustifiable. On the other hand, the Opposition's parliamentary leader, Ali Imtiaz Warraich, condemned the government's dual conduct, adding that, on one side, the government observes August 5 as a day to voice against the exploitation of Kashmiris and Palestinians, but on the other hand, it treats the Opposition with the same cruelty. He mentioned that PTI had called for a nationwide protest on August 5. In response to this call, PTI lawmakers assembled outside DHA Rehbar, but the police arrested nine of their lawmakers. 'PTI conducted a peaceful protest, yet even its lawmakers and workers were arrested,' he said. Warraich warned that PTI would devise a future strategy if its lawmakers and workers were not released.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israel to allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants
Israel will allow gradual and controlled entry of goods to Gaza through local merchants, COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said on Tuesday. 'This aims to increase the volume of aid entering the Gaza Strip, while reducing reliance on aid collection by the UN and international organisations,' the agency said. On Sunday, Hamas said it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers. Palestinian and UN officials said Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks to enter per day to meet the humanitarian requirements - the number Israel used to allow into Gaza before the war. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens permanent humanitarian corridors Israel's offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organisations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions.
