Yasin Güngör
31 July 2025•Update: 31 July 2025
ISTANBUL
The US imposed sanctions Thursday on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority (PA), accusing both groups of failing to comply with their commitments and undermining peace prospects in the Middle East.
"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," it said.
The agency also said it reported to Congress that both organizations violated the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 and the Middle East Peace Commitments Act (MEPCA) of 2002 through multiple actions.
The 1989 act requires PLO recognition of Israel's "right to exist" and "abstention from, and renunciation of, all acts of terrorism," while the 2002 MEPCA mandates sanctions if the PLO or PA fails to comply with commitments in the Oslo Accords -- interim agreements between Israel and the PLO.
It said the violations include supporting actions at international organizations that "contradict" UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, pursuing legal cases through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) to "internationalize its conflict with Israel," and "continuing to support terrorism" through" incitement and glorification of violence."
Resolution 242, adopted after the 1967 Six-Day War, calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and respect for sovereignty.
Resolution 338 called for an end to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It demanded Israel “desist from any and all acts that violate Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"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," said the agency.
The sanctions come amid Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, which have killed more than 60,200 Palestinians.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, and that country faces a genocide case at the ICJ.
