The United States Government announced on Thursday (31) that it will impose visa restrictions on members and employees of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian National Authority (ANP), so it considers to be non-compliance with diplomatic commitments and continuous support for terrorism.
The US State Department has indicated in a statement that “it is of interest to the US National Security to impose consequences and blame PLO and ANP for not fulfilling its commitments and undermine the prospects of peace.”
Therefore, the US “will impose sanctions that deny the visa to PLO members and ANP employees” without detailing which people refers to.
The US State Department stressed that both PLO and ANP “do not fulfill its commitments” acquired due to two 1989 and 2002 legislations, which condition the US government’s response to compliance with various commitments regarding the peace process in the Middle East.
Washington accuses PLO and Palestinian National Authority, which rules parts of the West Bank, of “promoting and supporting actions in international organizations that undermine and contradict previous commitments” adopted by the UN Security Council.
It also holds them responsible for “internationalizing their conflict with Israel through the International Criminal Court (TPI) and the International Court of Justice (CIJ)”.
“In addition, (both entities) continue to support terrorism – including the praise of violence, especially in textbooks – and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorist activities to Palestinians involved in terrorism and their families,” the statement adds.
The sanction announcement occurs amid growing international pressure on Israel to improve conditions in the Gaza Strip.
In recent days, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have announced their decision to recognize a Palestinian state in the UN in response to the end situation, which was received with strong criticism from the Israeli government, which considers this measure a “support for Hamas.”
In turn, US President Donald Trump assured on Thursday that the “fastest” way of ending the crisis in Gaza is the surrender of the terrorist group Hamas and the return of Israeli hostages that keep in their power.
Trump had already warned Canada before that the Palestinian state’s recognition makes it “very much” to arrive at a trade agreement between the two neighbors, which accelerate their negotiations before the deadline, on Friday (1st), the Tariff Trown the Republican granted to his partners.
