The Trump administration will no longer grant visas to Palestinian passport holders wishing to visit the United States, according to a report in The New York Times citing multiple sources within the administration.
While there has been no official confirmation yet, if true, this decision represents a significant extension of an earlier announcement to bar a group of Palestinians, including the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, from attending the UN General Assembly in New York.
Under the new decision, Palestinians from the West Bank and those living elsewhere would no longer be permitted to enter the United States to visit family members.
The newspaper says that the new restrictions only apply to people who hold a Palestinian passport. These passports have been issued since the 1990s, following an agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
