‼️ US suspends visas for ALL Palestinian passport holders
‼️ US suspends visas for ALL Palestinian passport holders
The Trump administration has imposed a sweeping suspension on nearly all nonimmigrant visas for Palestinian passport holders, US officials told the New York Times.
This marks an escalation of earlier restrictions and was issued in an 18 August State Department cable to all US embassies and consulates.
The suspension covers visas for medical treatment, education, business, and family visits, though applicants with dual nationality can still apply under a different passport. It remains unclear how long the measure will be in force.
According to CNN, the internal cable acknowledged the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a competent passport-issuing body but underscored that “the United States does NOT recognize the PA as a ‘foreign government.’” Under the directive, embassies and consulates were instructed to deny visas to “all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders,” including those applying for diplomatic or official travel.
The policy invokes section 221-G of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, requiring officials to withhold visas pending further review.
Last week, Washington begun revoking and denying visas for Palestinian officials ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this month.
Earlier in August, the US also stopped issuing visitor visas to Palestinians from Gaza, including those seeking humanitarian or medical treatment.
