DOHA/ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON: Dozens of Palestinian travellers were left stranded in transit airports from Doha to Istanbul this week after the United States abruptly halted the issuance of visitor visas to nearly all Palestinian passport holders, officails said Monady.
Families en route to medical treatment, students bound for universities, and businesspeople travelling for work were turned back or left in limbo as airlines informed them that U.S. visas had been suspended indefinitely, said multiple reports published by international media.
The sweeping ban, outlined in an Aug,16 State Department cable, has triggered anger and despair among Palestinians already enduring the devastation of a nearly two-year war in Gaza. Rights groups say the move amounts to collective punishment at a time when tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and basic services in the territory have collapsed.
Under the new directive, applications for non-immigrant visas, including those for education, medical care, family visits, and official travel—are no longer being processed.
The Trump administration has not provided a public justification, but officials familiar with the decision suggest it is linked to growing tensions over moves by several U.S. allies to recognise a Palestinian state, an initiative Washington has resisted in alignment with Israel.
Critics warn the ban will cut Palestinians off from life-saving healthcare abroad and deny young people access to education opportunities. “This decision further strips Palestinians of their basic rights and dignity, isolating them at a time of unprecedented suffering,” one international rights campaigner said.
Backgrounder: The new suspension comes weeks after the U.S. revoked visas for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and senior aides, preventing them from attending preparatory meetings for the upcoming UNGA session. The move followed earlier restrictions on PLO diplomats in Washington, as successive administrations downgraded Palestinian representation in the U.S.
For many Palestinians, the sudden inability to travel represents not only a personal crisis but also a stark reminder of how the conflict has erased ordinary avenues of relief and recognition. “I had a visa interview approved for my cancer treatment in Houston. Now they say it is cancelled,” said one Gaza resident stranded in Amman. “It feels like the world has closed every door.”
