Washington DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on several Israeli settlers who attacked Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, accusing them of undermining the stability and security of Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Thursday's announcement came as pressure mounts over President Joe Biden's unwavering support for Israel's war in Gaza, as he seeks re-election in November.
The sanctions targeted David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tansil and Yinon Levy, who are accused of assault and intimidation against Palestinians. They also targeted Shalom Zickerman, who is accused of assaulting an Israeli activist.
The sanctions freeze individuals' assets in the United States and restrict their financial transactions.
Earlier, Axios reported that the Biden administration had considered sanctions against ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, but had decided against doing so.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that there are “no plans at this time to sanction any Israeli government officials,” adding that the United States notified the Israeli government before announcing the sanctions. added.
The White House also announced new legislation to punish perpetrators of “extremist settler violence” in the West Bank.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that settler violence “poses a grave threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank, Israel, and the Middle East, and threatens national security and U.S. foreign policy.” “It threatens the interests of the upper management.” state”.
The executive order coincided with Biden's Thursday visit to Michigan, a Midwestern battleground state that is home to a large Arab American community.
Prime Minister Netanyahu responds
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to reject the US move, saying the vast majority of West Bank settlers were “law-abiding citizens.”
“Israel will take action against all Israelis who break the law everywhere. Therefore, no exceptional measures are necessary,” his office said in a statement.
Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, quoted Palestinians saying Israeli authorities were not holding settlers accountable for the attacks.
“In far too many incidents, we see settlers acting with the tacit or actual physical support of Israeli forces in these attacks,” Stratford said.
The announcement comes as the Biden administration continues its efforts to secure $14 billion in additional aid to the Israeli government. Government forces often accompany and protect settlers during attacks against Palestinians.
Israeli authorities rarely prosecute suspects of violence against Palestinians. Israeli settlers and an off-duty police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Palestinian-American Tawfik Ajak in the West Bank last month, according to his family.
The Biden administration has called for an investigation into the incident, but Israeli authorities have not made any arrests in the killing of the American teenager.
Since the Gaza war broke out on October 7, attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers on West Bank towns and villages have increased, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
“this [executive order] The United States may direct or participate in certain actions, including acts of violence or intimidation against civilians, intimidating civilians from their homes, destroying or seizing property, or engaging in terrorist activities in Western countries. Allow economic sanctions to be imposed. Banks,” Sullivan said.
In the same statement, the presidential aide emphasized Washington's support for what he called “Israel's right to defend itself.”
The Biden administration is pushing for support for the Gaza war, insisting Hamas must be eliminated, despite growing calls for a ceasefire worldwide and mounting evidence of Israeli abuses.
The US government said it was in talks with Israel to minimize civilian casualties and allow for increased aid to Gaza. But Biden has so far resisted calls to use his administration's support for Israel as a lever to pressure U.S. allies to end abuses against Palestinians.
Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have openly defied the Biden administration, which has vocally rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“It's good to see Biden imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians,” human rights activist Kenneth Roth wrote in a social media post.
“Now, how about conditioning?” [or stopping] Continue military aid and arms sales to Israel until Israel ceases its bombing and siege of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. ”
CAIR asks to target Israeli officials
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group, also downplayed the importance of sanctions, saying Biden should punish Israeli officials responsible for settler violence and end U.S. support for the Gaza war. Ta.
“It makes no sense for the Biden administration to condone the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza while opposing the killing of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank,” CAIR said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), said the sanctions were “hollow” and far from groundbreaking.
Ayoub said the White House sees the sanctions as a “safe way” to appeal to some voters angered by Biden's support for the Gaza war.
“This is the whole intention. That's why it was released today during Biden's visit to Michigan,” Ayoub told Al Jazeera.
He added that targeting a small number of individual settlers risked normalizing widespread settlement movements, and called for stricter measures to ensure accountability.
“We know that many of these settlers are Americans. Please clarify civil and criminal liability in the United States for these settlers,” he said.
