New Bill Codifies Visa Ban on PLO/PA Officials, Linking Travel Waivers to International Court Actions

The “Return to Palestinian Entities Accountability and Counterterrorism Enforcement Act”—or the Return to PEACE Act—is all about making sure existing visa sanctions against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) stick around. Specifically, this bill locks in the current rules that deny visas to PLO members and PA officials, essentially keeping the travel ban in place as a matter of law.

The Sanctions Stay Put

Think of this as Congress hitting the ‘save’ button on an existing policy. Section 2 of the Act ensures that the visa denials, which stem from a 2003 law, continue indefinitely. This means officials from the PLO or PA who might want to travel to the US for diplomatic talks, UN meetings, or even personal reasons, will find the door firmly shut. This isn’t a new sanction, but it’s a legislative mandate to keep the old ones running, which expires seven years after the bill is enacted.

The Diplomatic Trap Door: A Conditional Waiver

Now, there is a way out, but it’s a tight squeeze. The Secretary of State gets the power to waive this visa ban, but only on a case-by-case basis and for renewable periods of up to 180 days. This means the waiver is temporary and requires constant renewal, creating a cycle of uncertainty for any official relying on it.

Crucially, the Secretary can only grant this waiver if they certify to Congress that the PLO and PA are not doing three very specific things. This is where the bill gets highly political and sets up clear red lines for Palestinian entities.

The Three Red Lines

To get that temporary visa waiver, the Secretary must confirm that the PLO/PA are not:

1. Challenging UN Commitments: They can’t be initiating or backing efforts in international groups that go against their previous commitments regarding UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. This is about maintaining the status quo on past agreements.
2. Using International Courts: They must not be trying to internationalize their conflict with Israel by using tribunals like the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Essentially, this provision ties the ability of officials to travel to the US directly to whether the PA/PLO pursues legal action against Israel in global forums.
3. Supporting Terrorism: They must not continue to support terrorism, which includes praising violence, encouraging it, or sending money and benefits to terrorists and their families.

For the busy person, the key takeaway is that this bill weaponizes visa access to influence the foreign policy and legal actions of the Palestinian Authority and PLO. If these entities pursue legal or diplomatic actions that the US views as hostile—specifically using international courts—key officials lose their ability to travel to the US, effectively limiting their diplomatic reach and engagement. This creates a clear, concrete trade-off: pursue international legal challenges, or maintain the possibility of US travel and diplomatic access.