Joe Biden takes sanctions against Israeli settlers responsible for violence
The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, takes sanctions against Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Joe Biden signed a presidential decree to this effect, denouncing an “
intolerable
” situation which constitutes a threat to peace.
Palestinians from the village of Susya wave their national flag in front of Jewish residents of the settlement of the same name, who do the same, on the outskirts of the village of Yatta, September 24, 2021. © AFP / HAZEM BADER
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The sanctions initially target four Israeli settlers, cited by name by the US State Department. They are accused of having attacked and even injured Palestinians in the West Bank, of destroying their property, burning their fields or of forcing them from their homes.
The decree signed by Joe Biden provides that these settlers are prohibited from staying in the United States, that they no longer have any financial ties with the country and that their possible assets are frozen.
Last December, Washington had already announced visa restrictions for Israeli settlers guilty of violence. But this is the first time that financial sanctions have been ordered. The American president justifies himself: the “
intolerable
” violence committed in the West Bank by “
extremist settlers
” constitutes “
a serious threat to peace, security and stability
” in the region, he says. “
These actions undermine U.S. foreign policy objectives, including the two-state solution
.” They even represent, concludes Joe Biden, “
a threat to the security of the United States
”. Israel's first ally, the United States has for months condemned the violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, urging the Israeli authorities to stop it and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“
Israel must do more to end the violence against civilians in the West Bank and demand accountability from those responsible for it
,” reiterated the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken, who himself must visit once again the region in the coming days.
The Israeli Prime Minister considered that “exceptional measures” against the settlers were not necessary, that most were obeying the law. For his part, the far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, denounced a “
false and anti-Semitic
” campaign against the settlers.
(With AFP)
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