Washington, DC [US], July 31 (ANI): The US State Department announces the sanctioning of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA) officials, who will be denied visas to enter the US for 'continuing to support terrorism and not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace'.

'The State Department has reported to Congress that the PLO and PA are not in compliance with their commitments under the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (PLOCCA) and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 2002 (MEPCA), including by initiating and supporting actions at international organizations that undermine and contradict prior commitments in support of Security Council Resolution 242 and 338, taking actions to internationalize its conflict with Israel such as through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), continuing to support terrorism including incitement and glorification of violence (especially in textbooks), and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families,' US State Department stated.

'The United States is imposing sanctions that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials in accordance with section 604(a)(1) of the MEPCA,' it added.

The US State Department emphasised that these actions undermine the prospects for peace and justify the imposition of sanctions. 'It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,' the department stated.

Israel has been waging a nearly 22-month-long war in Gaza that human rights experts at the United Nations have compared to a genocide. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign, with more at risk of dying from hunger as a result of its blockade of the territory, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, since the war started on October 7, 2023, illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank have increased, as has violence against Palestinians there. Nearly 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed in attacks, some by settlers, others by members of the Israeli armed forces. (ANI)