The geopolitical situation in the Middle East continues to get more complicated, as the leading players in the region have taken new uncompromising administrative and legal measures. On the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York, the State Department of The United States has officially announced that it is extending sanctions that deny visas to officials from The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
According to information from the world agency Reuters (reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-extends-visa-sanctions-palestinian-authority-officials-plo-members-2026-09-17/), this decision blocks the ability of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his delegation to attend the international forum in person. The White House administration has justified the restrictions by arguing that Ramallah is violating US law by continuing to pursue legal action against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN International Court of Justice, instead of reforming its institutions and seeking peace negotiations.
In parallel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked widespread debate with a radical domestic policy proposal. In an official statement on the social network X, quoted by The Times of Israel (timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-ill-introduce-bill-to-revoke-citizenship-of-those-who-slander-idf-abroad/), Netanyahu announced that he would introduced a bill for revoking Israeli citizenship of individuals who “slander“ and discredit the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF) abroad.
“They have no place among us. We will hit them both in terms of citizenship and in terms of their pockets“, the Prime Minister was categorical. The new legislative initiative also provides for a drastic increase - up to 20 times - in financial fines and compensation in cases of defamation of the army.
The reason for the sharp reaction of the Israeli authorities was the documentary film “NAZA“, directed by Israeli journalists, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival. The tape accuses the army of systematic civilian casualties in Gaza through the use of artificial intelligence - allegations that Israel's military command has categorically rejected as false. According to the media platform The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com/israel-news/article-908828), Culture Minister Miki Zohar has already officially asked the Shin Bet intelligence agency to investigate the sources of information for the film, defining the authors' work as an “act of treason“.
International security experts note that these simultaneous moves by Washington and Tel Aviv increase the diplomatic isolation of the Palestinian leadership, but at the same time put serious pressure on the domestic opposition and human rights organizations in Israel itself.