WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it is extending visa sanctions against members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority officials, citing their pursuit of international legal action against Israel and what it described as ongoing support for terrorism.

The announcement, made just days before the UN General Assembly convenes in New York, marks the second consecutive year the Trump administration has imposed such restrictions ahead of the annual gathering.

In a statement, the State Department said it had reported to Congress that the PLO and PA had "once again, failed to live up to their commitments" under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002.

The department specifically cited Palestinian actions at the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, describing them as efforts to "internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict." It also accused Palestinian leaders of "seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition" of statehood and continuing to pay stipends to individuals convicted of terrorism.

"As a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace, the United States will extend sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials," the statement said.

The department maintained a standing waiver for personnel notified to the PLO Observer Mission to the United Nations, allowing those specific individuals to continue participating in UN proceedings.

Palestinian Authority President Barred from In-Person UN Address

The visa restrictions mean Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will likely be unable to travel to New York for the General Assembly for the second year in a row. Abbas addressed the 2025 gathering virtually after similar restrictions were imposed.

State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Paloma Chacón told Anadolu Agency that the Trump administration treats "every visa decision as a national security decision," adding that while the U.S. takes its host-country obligations seriously, it will "continue to protect Americans by upholding the highest standards of vetting and screening".

Context of Escalating Violence

The sanctions announcement comes against a backdrop of intensifying settler violence across the occupied West Bank and continuing Palestinian casualties in Gaza despite an October 2025 ceasefire.

According to UN data, at least 76 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers in 2026 as of early September, making it the deadliest year on record for settler-related fatalities. Over 1,430 settler attacks were documented during the same period, affecting approximately 260 Palestinian communities. In August alone, 2,030 attacks were recorded, including 628 by settlers.

A PLO report released in late August documented settler rampages across multiple governorates, including Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, and the Jordan Valley. The report cited beatings, gunfire, arson of homes and factories, uprooting of olive trees, and the seizure of water sources. Settlers have targeted at least 160 water and sanitation sites since the beginning of the year.

The UN human rights office has warned that the violence is compelling forcible displacement of Palestinians and "facilitating ethnic cleansing," with attacks described as a "calculated, targeted tool" to sever Palestinians' connection to their land.

Gaza Death Toll Rises Despite Ceasefire

In Gaza, Palestinian health authorities reported Wednesday that the death toll since the October 2025 ceasefire has risen to 1,381, including six killed in the previous 24 hours. The total death toll since October 2023 now stands at 73,795, with 174,869 wounded.

The post-ceasefire figure exceeds the approximately 1,200 Israelis killed during the October 7, 2023 attacks that triggered the war. A UN human rights office analysis found that about a third of Palestinians killed since the truce were in areas near the Israeli military's armistice line, raising concerns that troops may be shooting civilians merely for approaching the boundary.

The Gaza Government Media Office has documented 3,269 Israeli violations of the ceasefire since it took effect, including the killing of 992 Palestinians as of June. Israel has allowed only 52,740 aid trucks into Gaza out of 147,000 supposed to enter under the agreement — a compliance rate of just 36%.

The State Department did not comment on how the visa sanctions align with the U.S. role as a mediator in the ceasefire. Palestinian officials have not issued a public response to Wednesday's announcement