US suspends nonimmigrant visas for Palestinian Authority passports

The Trump administration has ordered a broad suspension of nearly all nonimmigrant visas for holders of Palestinian Authority passports and has denied visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and about 80 other Palestinian officials ahead of next month’s U.N. General Assembly, U.S. officials said. The measures were announced in a State Department cable sent to U.S. embassies and consulates on Aug. 18 and take effect immediately, diplomats and administration officials said.

The cable instructs consular officers to invoke section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to refuse nonimmigrant visa requests from applicants who present only Palestinian Authority passports, according to officials familiar with the guidance. The temporary suspension covers visitor visas for medical treatment, university studies, visits to relatives and business travel, and officials said it can apply to diplomatic and official visas as well. It does not apply to Palestinians who use other national passports or to people who already hold valid U.S. visas, the State Department said.

The administration said the steps are intended to strengthen vetting and to hold the Palestine...