Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The United States has announced new sanctions targeting the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Some shit you should know before you read: Just to give you some background, the PA and the PLO are two interconnected entities central to Palestinian self-governance and international representation. The PLO, established in 1964, is recognized by the United Nations and most countries as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The PA was created in 1994 as a result of the Oslo Accords between the PLO and Israel, intended to serve as an interim self-governing body responsible for parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. While the PLO operates primarily on the international diplomatic stage, the PA manages internal civil affairs and limited security functions in its territories. Over the years, the US has alternated between engaging with and sanctioning these entities (recognizing their role in peace efforts, but also accusing them of incitement and failing to curb violence). Israel, meanwhile, maintains a largely adversarial stance, often accusing both bodies of supporting terrorism and glorifying attacks against Israelis.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, the State Department announced that the United States is imposing sanctions on both PA & PLO, citing violations of past peace commitments and ongoing actions deemed hostile to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. The sanctions include visa bans on officials, effectively restricting their ability to travel to the US, including potentially for United Nations functions. According to the State Department, the move is “in our national security interests” and intended “to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace.”

The US specifically accuses the PA and PLO of taking steps to “internationalize” the conflict with Israel by pursuing legal actions through the International Criminal Court and the ICJ, steps the US sees as contradictory to past agreements.

The State Department also pointed to what it called continued “support [for] terrorism including incitement and glorification of violence (especially in textbooks), and providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families.” These payments, often referred to as “martyr stipends,” have long been a controversial issue between Israel, the US, and Palestinian leadership. While Palestinian officials say these are humanitarian stipends for families of detainees, US officials argue they incentivize violence.

This all comes as the UK, France, and Canada have announced support for recognizing an independent Palestinian state, with all three planning to make it official at the United Nations summit later this year.