US refuses visa to Palestinian passport holders

Washington: The United States has denied visas to all Palestinian passport holders.

According to foreign media reports, the United States has now tightened its visa policy for almost all Palestinian passport holders after revoking the visas of Palestinian leaders to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

According to media reports, under the new visa policy, the Trump administration instructed diplomats to stop approving visas for Palestinian passport holders.

According to media reports, the purpose of revoking visas for Palestinian passport holders is to prevent Palestinians from coming to the United States for medical treatment, study, and business travel.

Earlier, the State Department had informed that it was considering suspending visas for Palestinians seeking visitor visas. This move was condemned by pro-Palestinian groups.

It is pertinent to note that earlier on Friday, the State Department confirmed that the United States had begun denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the UN Assembly session in September.