Two recent decisions by the US government are puzzling to any observer of the Middle East. Both are also deeply troubling: the Aug. 29 denial of visas to Palestinian invitees to the UN headquarters — a rare act reserved for the most egregious offenders — and the Aug. 13 instructions to US consulates not to grant sick or educational visas to holders of Palestinian passports. Both anti-Palestinian decisions are unusual for Washington and hard to explain through ordinary diplomatic reasoning.

The new restriction comes after a group of Palestinian officials were refused visas for a key UN meeting in New York.

Two recent decisions by the US government are puzzling to any observer of the Middle East. Both are also deeply troubling: the Aug. 29 denial of visas to Palestinian invitees to…