Biden imposes sanctions over ‘intolerable’ Israeli settler violence

The sanctions mark a rare step by the United States against Israel.

Washington:

The United States imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers on Thursday as President Joe Biden said violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank had reached intolerable levels.

The sanctions mark a rare step by the U.S. to target Israelis as the war with Hamas intensifies in the Gaza Strip and come as Biden travels to Michigan, where the state’s large Arab-American community has voiced support for Israel anger.

Biden issued an executive order laying the groundwork for a U.S. response to attacks and “acts of terrorism” in the West Bank. In separate military operations in the Gaza Strip, settlers have carried out violent attacks against Palestinians.

“The situation in the West Bank, particularly the high level of violence by extremist settlers, the forced displacement of people and villages, and the destruction of property, has reached intolerable levels and is jeopardizing peace, security and stability,” Biden said. poses a serious threat.” in order.

The U.S. State Department subsequently announced sanctions against the four settlers. Any assets they hold in the United States will be blocked, and Americans will be prohibited from conducting financial transactions with them.

The four settlers include David Chai Chasdai from the hotspot town of Huwara, who is accused of leading a riot that left a Palestinian civilian dead.

Other targets include Yinon Levi, who is accused of leading a group of unauthorized settlers from Metalin Farms Outpost in attacks on Palestinian and Bedouin civilians, burning their fields and destroying their property.

“Israel must do more to stop the violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has repeatedly raised the issue of settler violence with Israel and quickly left to begin A new visit to the area.

Blinken warned against actions that would jeopardize the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state, an idea strongly opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, which includes settler advocates.

Israel criticized the sanctions against its close ally.

“Israel takes action against all violators around the world, so there is no room for special measures in this regard,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

– The most violent year on record –

The move marks the first economic sanctions against settlers, despite earlier announcements by the Biden administration that it would deny visas to extremists involved in violence.

Biden defended Israel’s right to respond and rejected demands after Hamas launched an attack inside Israel on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. A call for a ceasefire.

However, Biden has also expressed anger at the high number of civilian casualties caused by Netanyahu and Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas.

At least 26,900 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamas-controlled region.

Arab Americans largely supported Biden when he defeated Trump in 2020, and while they make up a small portion of the national population, they could sway the election in Michigan, which is important for the It will be crucial for the Democratic president to succeed in his November rematch with Trump.

The mayor of a Detroit suburb refused to meet with Biden on his trip because he refused to urge Israel to end its military campaign.

Israeli settlers killed at least 10 Palestinians and burned dozens of homes in the occupied West Bank in 2023, rights group Yesh Din said, making it the “most violent” settler attack on record Year.

Some 490,000 settlers live among some 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, and the settlements are considered illegal under international law.

Biden has largely revived historic U.S. opposition to the settlements, which his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, visited late in his term after Trump reversed course and refused to criticize the outposts. point.

The Biden administration has also renewed its call for the establishment of a Palestinian state, an idea strongly opposed by Netanyahu’s government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)