US lifts sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers but suspends visa approvals for Palestinians

The US has suspended approval for nearly all visitor visa categories for Palestinian passport holders from Gaza, The New York Times reported.

Extensive restrictions outlined in a State Department cable sent to US diplomatic missions worldwide on August 18 will also prevent many Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and diaspora communities from obtaining non-immigrant visas, according to four American sources.

The enhanced measures affect visa categories for medical treatment, university education, family visits and business travel, at least temporarily, the newspaper reported on Sunday.

The visa suspension follows Friday's revocation of visas for Palestinian officials, which bars them from attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.

The move came after France, the UK, Canada, and Australia announced plans to recognise Palestinian statehood at the upcoming General Assembly, joining 147 countries that have recognised Palestine as a sovereign state.

The State Department imposed sanctions on the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Palestinian Authority on July 31, denying their members US visas.

Washington also recently lifted sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In January, the US Treasury Department officially removed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers and groups, including the Amana settlement group, accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amid a surge in settler attacks.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the termination of the sanctions.

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Source: TRT