The US State Department clarified in a statement issued Thursday, claiming that "these sanctions undermine peace efforts," adding that this step prevents those targeted by the sanctions from obtaining travel visas to the United States.
The statement added: "It is in our national security interest to impose consequences and hold the PLO and the Palestinian Authority accountable for failing to comply with their obligations and undermining the prospects for peace."
The US State Department informed Congress in a report that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority are not fulfilling their commitments in the peace process "through several actions, including promoting activities in international organizations that conflict with prior commitments supporting UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338."
The report added that the Palestinian organization and the Palestinian Authority also attempted to "internationalize the conflict with Israel through bodies such as the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, and to continue inciting and glorifying violence, particularly in school textbooks, in addition to disbursing salaries and allowances to Palestinians involved in the resistance and their families."
