Middle East tensions: The Biden administration imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers it accused of being involved in the occupied West Bank region, signalling a growing displeasure of America with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US had been imposing visa bans on people involved in violence in the West Bank as some members of Israel's right-wing coalition government have called for increasing settlements.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday issued an executive order saying that the situation in West Bank - "in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction - has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region".
The order establishes financial and visa restrictions, including suspension of immigrant and nonimmigrant entry to the US and restricting provision of funds, goods and services, against the people involved in attacking or intimidating Palestinians or seizing their property, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. "Today’s actions seek to promote peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he said.
Who are the four Israelis?
The US Department of State named four persons on whom it imposed financial sanctions according to the Executive Order issued by Biden to promote accountability for certain harmful activities that threaten the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank.
These include David Chai Chasdai for initiating and leading a riot involving setting vehicles and buildings on fire, property damage and assault on Palestinians. Einan Tanjil for his involvement in assaulting Palestinian farmers and Israeli activists by attacking them with stones and clubs. Shalom Zicherman for assaulting Israeli activists and their vehicles in the West Bank, blocking them on the street, and attempted to break the windows of passing vehicles with activists inside. Finally, Yinon Levi for leading a group of settlers who engaged in actions creating an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank, including assaulting Palestinians and forcing them to leave their homes.
The State Department sanctions, freezing the US assets of the four men and generally barring Americans from dealing with them, are the latest since Palestinian Hamas militants on October 7 carried out an attack on Israel and Israel responded with an assault on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
"Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold accountable those responsible for it. The United States will continue to take actions to advance the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution, and is committed to the safety, security, and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians alike," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.
Biden and other senior US officials have warned repeatedly that Israel must act to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and has raised this issue with Netanyahu in his efforts to seek a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians after the war in Gaza ends.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said some cases Israel had taken action and three of the four men hit with sanctions had been prosecuted by Israel. However, the spokesperson did not rule out further action against the many Jewish settlers who hold US citizenship. "You should not conclude that we are done," he said.
Is support for Israel fading?
Netanyahu's office on Thursday responded to the US measures by saying they were unnecessary and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right pro-settlement party Religious Zionism, was defiant on the Biden order, saying the 'settler violence' campaign was an anti-semitic lie.
The rift between the US and Israel is widening as Netanyahu continues to reject a two-state solution and has refused to stop his ground operations in Gaza, despite a World Court ruling and a staggering death count of 27,000 that has sparked international alarm and raging calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said his country could officially recognize a Palestinian state after a cease-fire in Gaza without waiting for the outcome of what could be years-long talks between Israel and the Palestinians. However, he maintained that no recognition could come while Hamas remained in Gaza.
"It could be something that we consider as this process, as this advance to a solution, becomes more real. What we need to do is give the Palestinian people a horizon towards a better future, the future of having a state of their own," Cameron said, adding that the solution was vital for long-term peace and security of the region.
Britain, the US and other Western countries have supported the idea of an independent Palestine existing alongside Israel as a solution to the region's most intractable conflict, but have said Palestinian independence should come as part of a negotiated settlement. However, Netanyahu has rejected this alternative and boasted about his role in preventing such statehood.
(with inputs from agencies)
