WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has broadened its visa restrictions on Palestinian passport holders, halting approvals for nearly all categories of non-immigrant visitor visas, reported The New York Times on Sunday.

The expanded suspension covers applications for medical treatment, university study, business travel, and visiting friends or family, said the report.

The measure, laid out in an Aug. 18 cable from the State Department to U.S. embassies and consulates, marks a sweeping extension of earlier measures that applied only to residents of Gaza. The new policy now targets Palestinians in the West Bank and across the diaspora.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration also revoked visas from members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, preventing them from attending the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The U.S. State Department said the decision was based on national security concerns, accusing Palestinian leaders of failing to renounce terrorism. ■