The U.S. Department of Treasury imposed new sanctions Thursday on two entire illegal outposts in the occupied territory of the West Bank (Palestine). Israeli Far Right settlers were using the outposts to attack Palestinian civilians. The extremists’ attacks would often go unchecked.
Amid the raging war that has been going on between Israel and Hamas militants since October, instances of settlers’ violence against Palestinians multiplied, surpassing 500 assaults as per figures by the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA).
The sanctions target not only the two entities, but also individuals who act as leaders of the outposts. The sanctioned persons will be denied visas to enter the United States, with their assets being frozen on American land. They also cannot use the U.S. financial system, which means that subsidiary Israeli banks would have to comply with the sanctions and suspend the settlers’ accounts.
In response to the unprecedented violence by Israel in the occupied territories, President Biden had signed in February an executive order to impose sanctions on extremist Israelis and deter further hostilities. The document is the most significant step taken by the United States since the outbreak of violence on October 7, and is perceived by many as an attempt to pressure Israel into de-escalating the conflict.
France, the United Kingdom and Canada have announced similar sanctions.