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The Biden Administration has announced a new wave of sanctions targeting Israeli entities and individuals involved in illegal settlement in the West Bank.
What’s the deal: The Biden administration’s latest sanctions target individuals and organizations linked to illegal settlement activities and extremist violence in the West Bank. The sanctions primarily focus on Amana, the largest Israeli settlement development organization, and its subsidiary, Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd., for their role in building illegal settler outposts and dispossessing Palestinian landowners. Three individuals—Itamar Yehuda Levi, Shabtai Koshlevsky, and Zohar Sabah—were also sanctioned for supporting extremist activities, including acts of violence and destruction against Palestinians. These measures aim to block the sanctioned entities’ and individuals’ US-based assets, prevent their entry into the country, and prohibit Americans from conducting business with them. Additionally, the United Kingdom and Canada joined in sanctioning these entities.
Digging deeper: This all comes just days after nearly 90 Democratic lawmakers encouraged President Biden to impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli officials, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for their roles in inciting violence and undermining peace in the West Bank. In a public letter released last week, the lawmakers highlighted the ministers’ support for expanding illegal settlements, weakening the Palestinian Authority, and promoting violence against Palestinian communities. They specifically accused Smotrich and Ben-Gvir of encouraging settler attacks and enabling policies that destabilize the region.
Israel reacts: Samaria Regional Council governor Yossi Dagan criticized the Biden administration move, saying, ” It is an act hostile and cynical towards the only democracy in the Middle East, a government that dares to extort its strategic partner, the state of Israel, which is fighting for its survival, through denial of armaments, now dares to attack the bodies and organizations of the State of Israel. Both those who love Israel and those who hate Israel both understand well that there is not one ounce of substantive consideration here, it’s all cynical politics, this is a transparent attempt by Biden and Harris to embarrass the elected president Trump.” He added, “We will work with all our might to throw these decisions to the trash can of history, immediately after the inauguration of the new president and government.”
US reactions: In a statement, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said, “The United States, along with our allies and partners, remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to facilitate these destabilizing activities, which threaten the stability of the West Bank, Israel, and the wider region.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We once again call on the Government of Israel to take action and hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in violence, forced displacement, and the dispossession of private land.” He added, “There is no justification for extremist violence against civilians. Period. We are committed to working with Israel and the Palestinian Authority to de-escalate violence in the West Bank, which has cost the lives of too many Israeli and Palestinian civilians.”
