US sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in ‘intolerable’ violence

The United States has imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers, saying that the violence against Palestinian citizens in the occupied West Bank has reached intolerable levels.

According to the AFP news agency, these sanctions by President Joe Biden are being seen as an unusual US move against the ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza.

It is also significant that the US president made this statement in Michigan at a time when many in the Arab-American community expressed anger over his support for Israel during his visit to the state.

President Biden said: ‘The situation in the West Bank, particularly the escalation of extremist settler violence, the forced displacement of people and the destruction of villages and property, has reached intolerable levels for peace, security and stability. There is a grave danger.’

President Biden said he had imposed sanctions against extremist Israelis under an executive order.

The State Department later said that sanctions had been announced against four Israeli settlers whose assets in the United States would be frozen and Americans would be prohibited from having financial transactions with them.

The four Israeli settlers include David Chai Chasday, who is accused of leading riots in the West Bank town of Hawara, in which Palestinian homes were set on fire and a Palestinian civilian was killed in the attack.

Others include Yanon Levy, who is accused of leading a group of settlers from an Israeli checkpoint that attacked Palestinians and villagers, burning their fields and destroying their property.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken said, “Israel must do more to stop violence against civilians in the West Bank and hold those responsible accountable.”

Blanken warned against actions that threaten the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s far-right government and Jewish settlers are staunch opponents of the proposed Palestinian state.

Israel, on the other hand, has criticized the sanctions imposed by its close ally the United States, saying the “majority” of its citizens in the West Bank are law-abiding.

A statement from Netanyahu’s office said that “Israel takes action against all Israelis who break the law everywhere, so these extraordinary measures are unnecessary.”

While US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller responded by saying that Israel has prosecuted three of the four settlers, but it needs more action.

“We will not hesitate to take additional actions as needed,” he said.

The move marks financial sanctions against Israeli settlers even though the Biden administration has previously announced it would not issue US visas to violent settlers.

The US has openly defended Israel’s ongoing aggression in Gaza in recent weeks and resisted calls for a ceasefire. More than 27,000 Palestinians have lost their lives so far in Israel’s relentless operations in Gaza.

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