U.S. imposes visa restrictions on Palestinian leaders amidst rising Middle East tensions
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
What caused the most recent U.S. sanctions against Palestinian officials?
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
What are Palestinian leaders doing that goes against past peace deals?
What does this mean for the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza?
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
FAQs
The U.S. government has officially put visa restrictions on members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority . This has made tensions in the Middle East even worse. The U.S. says that these actions directly threaten long-term peace and make the region less stable.The move comes at a time when there is still fighting going on in Gaza and the West Bank. U.S. officials say that Palestinian leaders are glorifying violence and getting in the way of peace efforts. The US stated that this decision was made due to the Palestinian Authority's ongoing support for terrorism and their violations of previous peace agreements.The State Department said in a statement on Thursday that the sanctions are being enforced under Section 604(a)(1) of the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA). Officials say that the PA and PLO have repeatedly failed to meet the requirements set out in both MEPCA and the earlier PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989.The U.S. says it made this choice because of ongoing violations, such as glorifying violence in textbooks, paying terrorists and their families, and trying to make the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a global issue through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).The State Department said in its official briefing, "These actions hurt trust and get in the way of any real path to peace."Washington also criticized the Palestinian leadership's actions in international forums, saying that they still oppose U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, which are key to the peace process.U.S. officials say that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority have not kept their promises to previous administrations, especially those to stop inciting violence and avoid actions that make the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more international.The U.S. also said that government-funded media and educational materials are still being used to brainwash people and glorify terrorist acts. Officials say that these things not only break promises of peace, but they also keep the cycle of violence going.The State Department made it clear that the visa restrictions are only for people who either helped or encouraged these violations.The sanctions come at a time when the region is very unstable. According to sources in the region, the war in Gaza, which has been going on for almost 22 months, has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians. Israeli troops are still doing their jobs, but there have been more settlements and violent clashes in the West Bank.Since the fighting started up again on October 7, 2023, reports say that nearly 1,000 Palestinians have died in the West Bank as a result of attacks by both Israeli settlers and the military.Officials in the U.S. say that everyone involved in the region must be held responsible because so many lives are at stake. The State Department said, "It's in our national interest to punish the PLO and PA for not keeping their peace promises."These new sanctions show that the U.S. is taking a tougher stance and putting more emphasis on peace based on accountability, openness, and a rejection of governance linked to terrorism.The United States cited support for terrorism, incitement in textbooks, and a failure to keep peace promises.The visa ban targets PLO members as well as Palestinian Authority officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
22 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump pushes to expand Abraham Accords with Azerbaijan, Central Asian nations, say sources
The Trump administration is in advanced talks with Azerbaijan and preliminary discussions with Central Asian nations to expand the Abraham Accords, according to sources. The initiative aims to solidify symbolic ties with Israel, despite regional tensions and the ongoing war in Gaza. read more The administration of US President Donald Trump is in discussions with Azerbaijan about the possibility of the country, along with some Central Asian partners, joining the Abraham Accords, with the aim of strengthening their current relationships with Israel, according to five sources familiar with the matter. As part of the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 and 2021 during Trump's first term, four Muslim-majority nations agreed to normalise diplomatic ties with Israel following US mediation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Azerbaijan and all Central Asian countries, on the other hand, already have longstanding relations with Israel, so any expansion of the accords to include them would be largely symbolic, focussing on strengthening ties in areas such as trade and military cooperation, according to the sources, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss private conversations. Such an expansion would demonstrate Trump's willingness to consider less ambitious agreements than his administration's objective of persuading regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to re-establish ties with Israel while conflict rages in Gaza. The kingdom has repeatedly said that it will not recognise Israel until Israel recognises a Palestinian state. A rising death toll in Gaza and malnutrition caused by Israel's blockade of supplies and military operations have fuelled Arab outrage, hindering efforts to expand the Abraham Accords to include additional Muslim-majority nations. The war in Gaza, where over 60,000 people including tens of thousands of women and children have died according to local health authorities, has provoked global anger. Canada, France and the United Kingdom have announced plans in recent days to recognize an independent Palestine. Another key sticking point is Azerbaijan's conflict with its neighbor Armenia, since the Trump administration considers a peace deal between the two Caucasus nations as a precondition to join the Abraham Accords, three sources said. While Trump officials have publicly floated several potential entrants into the accords, the talks centered on Azerbaijan are among the most structured and serious, the sources said. Two of the sources argued a deal could be reached within months or even weeks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump's special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, in March to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aryeh Lightstone, a key Witkoff aide, met Aliyev later in the spring in part to discuss the Abraham Accords, three of the sources said. As part of the discussions, Azerbaijani officials have contacted officials in Central Asian nations, including in nearby Kazakhstan, to gauge their interest in a broader Abraham Accords expansion, those sources said. It was not clear which other countries in Central Asia - which includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - were contacted. The State Department, asked for comment, did not discuss specific countries, but said expanding the accords has been one of the key objectives of Trump. 'We are working to get more countries to join,' said a US official. The Azerbaijani government declined to comment. The White House, the Israeli foreign ministry and the Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Any new accords would not modify the previous Abraham Accords deals signed by Israel. Obstacles remain The original Abraham Accords - inked between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan - were centered on restoration of ties. The second round of expansion appears to be morphing into a broader mechanism designed to expand US and Israeli soft power. Wedged between Russia to the north and Iran to the south, Azerbaijan occupies a critical link in trade flows between Central Asia and the West. The Caucasus and Central Asia are also rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, prompting various major powers to compete for influence in the region. Expanding the accords to nations that already have diplomatic relations with Israel may also be a means of delivering symbolic wins to a president who is known to talk up even relatively small victories. Two sources described the discussions involving Central Asia as embryonic - but the discussions with Azerbaijan as relatively advanced. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But challenges remain and there is no guarantee a deal will be reached, particularly with slow progress in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two countries, which both won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, have been at loggerheads since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh - an Azerbaijani region that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population - broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. In 2023, Azerbaijan retook Karabakh, prompting about 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Both sides have since said they want to sign a treaty on a formal end to the conflict. Primarily Christian Armenia and the US have close ties, and the Trump administration is wary of taking action that could upset authorities in Yerevan. Still, US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump himself, have argued that a peace deal between those two nations is near. 'Armenia and Azerbaijan, we worked magic there,' Trump told reporters earlier in July. 'And it's pretty close.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
CM announces Secretariat revamp, 50,000 flats for poor
The Hindu Bureau New Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said the time had come for the Capital to have a new integrated Secretariat to house all government departments under one roof as she launched a month-long cleanliness campaign. Addressing officials at the Department of Women and Child Development in Kashmere Gate, Ms. Gupta expressed strong displeasure over the dilapidated condition of the building. 'The ceilings are leaking, furniture is broken, cupboards are damaged, and fans are in such poor condition that they could fall at any moment,' she said, questioning how governance could be delivered effectively in such an environment. 'We will take steps in this direction. A suitable location will be identified for the new Delhi Secretariat. Our officials cannot be left to work in such miserable conditions any longer,' Ms. Gupta said. Housing promise The CM's remarks came after launching the 'Dilli Ko Koode Se Azadi' (freedom from garbage for Delhi) campaign, which will run from August 1 to 31. It aims at making the city cleaner, greener, and garbage-free, with coordination among multiple agencies and active citizen participation. Ms. Gupta also announced that around 50,000 flats, built more than a decade ago in the outer areas of the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, will be renovated and handed over to slum dwellers. 'The previous governments never bothered to allocate these flats, despite claiming to work for the poor. As a result, the units became uninhabitable over time,' Ms. Gupta said, adding that these flats will now be provided to eligible slum dwellers under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Urban. The CM said departments like the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation had been allocated over ₹700 crore for the project, but the funds went unused and were nearly returned to the Centre. 'The Centre has now approved their use for the renovation of these flats. Our government will ensure rehabilitation of eligible slum dwellers so that they can be participants in Delhi's growth story,' she said.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Trump eyes bringing Azerbaijan, Central Asian nations into Abraham Accords: Repot
President Donald Trump's administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the part of the Abraham Accords, inked in 2020 and 2021 during Trump's first term in office, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel after US and every country in Central Asia, by contrast, already have longstanding relations with Israel, meaning that an expansion of the accords to include them would largely be symbolic, focusing on strengthening ties in areas like trade and military cooperation, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. Such an expansion would reflect Trump's openness to pacts that are less ambitious than his administration's goal to convince regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to restore ties with Israel while war rages in kingdom has repeatedly said it would not recognise Israel without steps towards Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state. A soaring death toll in Gaza and starvation in the enclave due to blockage of aid and military operations by Israel have buoyed Arab fury, complicating efforts to add more Muslim-majority countries to the Abraham war in Gaza, where over 60,000 people including tens of thousands of women and children have died according to local health authorities, has provoked global anger. Canada, France and the United Kingdom have announced plans in recent days to recognise an independent key sticking point is Azerbaijan's conflict with its neighbour Armenia, since the Trump administration considers a peace deal between the two Caucasus nations as a precondition to join the Abraham Accords, three sources Trump officials have publicly floated several potential entrants into the accords, the talks centered on Azerbaijan are among the most structured and serious, the sources said. Two of the sources argued a deal could be reached within months or even special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, travelled to Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, in March to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aryeh Lightstone, a key Witkoff aide, met Aliyev later in the spring in part to discuss the Abraham Accords, three of the sources part of the discussions, Azerbaijani officials have contacted officials in Central Asian nations, including in nearby Kazakhstan, to gauge their interest in a broader Abraham Accords expansion, those sources said. It was not clear which other countries in Central Asia - which includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - were State Department, asked for comment, did not discuss specific countries, but said expanding the accords has been one of the key objectives of Trump. "We are working to get more countries to join," said a US Azerbaijani government declined to White House, the Israeli foreign ministry and the Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for new accords would not modify the previous Abraham Accords deals signed by REMAINThe original Abraham Accords - inked between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan - were centered on restoration of ties. The second round of expansion appears to be morphing into a broader mechanism designed to expand US and Israeli soft between Russia to the north and Iran to the south, Azerbaijan occupies a critical link in trade flows between Central Asia and the West. The Caucasus and Central Asia are also rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, prompting various major powers to compete for influence in the the accords to nations that already have diplomatic relations with Israel may also be a means of delivering symbolic wins to a president who is known to talk up even relatively small sources described the discussions involving Central Asia as embryonic - but the discussions with Azerbaijan as relatively challenges remain and there is no guarantee a deal will be reached, particularly with slow progress in talks between Armenia and two countries, which both won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, have been at loggerheads since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh - an Azerbaijani region that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population - broke away from Azerbaijan with support from 2023, Azerbaijan retook Karabakh, prompting about 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Both sides have since said they want to sign a treaty on a formal end to the Christian Armenia and the US have close ties, and the Trump administration is wary of taking action that could upset authorities in US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump himself, have argued that a peace deal between those two nations is near."Armenia and Azerbaijan, we worked magic there," Trump told reporters earlier in July. "And it's pretty close."- EndsMust Watch
