The Biden administration is expected to sanction two Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank on Thursday, March 14. This represents a new step for US policy towards Israeli settler violence.
The American news outlet Axios reported that two illegal settlements, which were used as a base for extremist attacks against Palestinians, will be sanctioned by the US government alongside three settlers. This would be the first time the US sanctions whole organizations involved in settler violence.
Extremist attacks on Palestinians have increased following the October 7 attacks, with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reporting nearly 500 settler attacks between October 7 and January 31. Last week, Israel’s settlement authority announced plans to build 3,500 new homes in the West Bank, in violation of international law.
Biden has sought to pressure the Israeli government over the issues of settlement expansion and settler violence. On February 1, he signed an executive order allowing the imposition of sanctions on Israeli settlers and potentially Israeli officials involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Read more
The first round of sanctions targeted four Israeli settlers, whom the US claims were directly involved in settler violence.
However, this marks the first time that US sanctions are imposed against entire outposts rather than singular individuals. A US official told Axios that this was intended to send a message that the US is not only targeting individual settlers but also the logistical and financial entities involved in attacks against Palestinians.
These sanctions will freeze any US assets held by the three settlers and two outposts, ban them from accessing a US visa, and block them from the US financial system.
