The US State Department announced new sanctions on three Israeli settlers and two farms in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, as the administration targets threats to peace and security in the area.
The latest sanctions follow an executive order signed by President Joe Biden last month aimed at targeting violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank whom he said undermined stability in the area.
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said that “since the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, violence in the West Bank has increased sharply.”
“Today, we are taking further action to promote accountability for those perpetuating violence and causing turmoil in the West Bank by imposing sanctions on three Israeli individuals and two associated entities involved in undermining stability in the West Bank.”
Miller reiterated the US position that there is “no justification for extremist violence against civilians or forcing families from their homes, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, race, or religion.”
More on US sanctions: One of the individuals sanctioned, Moshe Sharvit, “repeatedly harassed, threatened, and attacked Palestinian civilians and Israeli human rights defenders in the vicinity of MOSHES FARM, an outpost in the West Bank,” a fact sheet from the State Department said.
A settlement that was sanctioned, Zvis Farm, “perpetrates violence against Palestinians and prevents local Palestinian farmers from accessing and using their lands,” the document said.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that the US Treasury Department’s decision to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank was “further proof that the US government does not understand who is the enemy and who is a friend.”
Settler violence: About 500,000 Israeli Jewish settlers live in the West Bank according to Peace Now, an Israeli rights and monitoring group. Many settlements are heavily guarded, fenced-off areas that are off-limits to Palestinians.
Most of the world considers the settlements illegal under international law and Israel has been criticized for allowing their expansion.
