The U.S. government sanctions Palestinian officials for their "support of terrorism"

Washington.- The United States Government announced this Thursday that it will impose visa restrictions on members and officials of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), for what it considers a breach of diplomatic commitments and continued "support for terrorism".

The U.S. State Department stated in a statement that "it is in the interest of U.S. national security to impose consequences and hold the PLO and the PA accountable for failing to meet their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace." You may be interested in: http://Kamchatka registra réplicas tras sismo y se desactivan alertas de tsunami en el Pacífico For this reason, the U.S. will "impose visa-denying sanctions on PLO members and PA officials," without specifying which individuals are concerned. The State Department indicated that both the PLO and the PA "do not meet their commitments" made under two laws from 1989 and 2002 that condition the US Government's response to the fulfillment of several commitments regarding the Middle East peace process. Washington accuses the PLO and the Palestinian National Authority - which governs the West Bank - of "promoting and supporting actions in international bodies that undermine and contradict previous commitments" adopted by the UN Security Council. Also, it holds them responsible for "internationalizing their conflict with Israel through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ)." "Furthermore, (both entities) continue to support terrorism —including the glorification of violence, especially in textbooks— and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorist activities to Palestinians involved in terrorism and their families," adds the statement. The announcement of sanctions comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to improve conditions in the Gaza Strip, which is undergoing a severe humanitarian crisis and where in recent days local authorities have reported a peak in hunger-related deaths. In recent days, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have expressed their decision to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN in response to the situation in the Gaza Strip, announcements that have been met with strong criticism from the Israeli government, which considers this measure as a "backing for Hamas". For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump asserted this Thursday that the "fastest" way to end the crisis in Gaza is the surrender of the Palestinian Islamist group and the return of the Israeli hostages they hold. Trump had already warned Canada that the recognition of the Palestinian state makes it "very" difficult to reach a trade agreement between the two neighbors, who are rushing negotiations before the end of this Friday, August 1, of the tariff truce that the president granted to his partners.