The United States imposed visa sanctions on officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization on 31 July, the State Department said. The restrictions bar the unnamed individuals from entering the country and aim to penalize what Washington calls persistent non-compliance with diplomatic commitments and actions that undermine prospects for peace. According to the department’s statement, the two Palestinian entities have sought to "internationalize" their conflict with Israel by taking cases to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, while continuing to provide financial and rhetorical support for terrorism, including payments to militants’ families and the glorification of violence in school textbooks. The announcement coincided with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Israel to revive stalled cease-fire talks amid Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis. It also comes as France, the United Kingdom and Canada signal plans to recognize a Palestinian state ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September, a move that could be complicated by the new U.S. visa ban.