Sanctions against four Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians
President of the United States, Joe Biden, approved sanctions against four Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians.
According to the report received from the White House, the four Israeli settlers are responsible for violent incidents in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
In this regard, President Joe Biden signed on Thursday, February 1st, an executive order authorizing the sanctions, arguing that violence in the West Bank has escalated.
The sanctions against the four Israeli settlers block the individuals from accessing any property and assets in the United States and the U.S. financial system.
Violence in the West Bank has increased since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th. The sanctions against the four Israeli settlers mark a milestone in U.S. policy, which had until then avoided sanctioning Israeli citizens.
The executive order lays the groundwork for the United States‘ response to potential attacks in the West Bank, going beyond the visa restrictions that Washington imposed on several Israelis last year.
The measure of sanctions against the four Israeli settlers comes as Biden travels to the state of Michigan, which is home to a large Arab-American population critical of his support for Israel.
According to the Arab American Institute, a pro-Arab association, Arab American support for the Democratic Party has dropped from 59% in 2020 to the current 17%.
The current president has supported the military offensive in Gaza with which Israel responded to Hamas’s attacks, which could affect his popularity among Arab voters and his attempt to be re-elected in the November elections.
—Sanctions against Four Israeli Settlers: Displeasure from Israel—
On Thursday, a senior U.S. government official emphasized that the president had consistently expressed to Israel his concerns about settler violence against Palestinians.
“The situation in the West Bank, particularly the high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and destruction of property, has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to peace, security, and stability,” Biden said in the order.
Biden’s support for Israel is affecting him with Arab American voters. Shortly after he announced the measure, Israel expressed its dissatisfaction and described most settlers in the West Bank as “law-abiding.”
The move sets a historic precedent, as sanctions against four Israeli settlers send a message that violence must be punished wherever it occurs.
“Israel takes action against all offenders everywhere, and therefore, there is no need for unusual measures on this issue,” said a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The response shows another sign of growing public differences between the United States and Israel. Both have been allies for decades but have disagreed in recent weeks on the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state. The United States believes that a Palestinian state alongside Israel, the so-called “two-state solution,” is vital for long-term stability in the region.
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea, and the White House acknowledged last month that the U.S. and Israeli governments “clearly see things differently.”
These comments have dampened hopes that the conflict in Gaza could push Israeli and Palestinian leaders back onto the path of diplomacy and a new peace process.
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