Despite international criticism, Israel’s government is pushing ahead with settlement expansion in the West Bank. New US countermeasures are targeting, among others, leading figures of extremist nationalist groups.
The US government is imposing further sanctions on individuals and entities associated with the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. According to the US State Department, those affected have been involved in violence against Palestinian civilians, have illegally “seized” their land and are threatening “the peace, stability and security of the West Bank”.
Specifically, the measures are directed against three individuals, four outposts in the West Bank set up by extremist settlers and the right-wing Jewish group Lehava.
The US had previously sanctioned Lehava founder Ben-Zion Gopstein, who is considered a close confidant of the radical Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. According to US information, two of the people now sanctioned are leading figures of the radical Israeli group Tzav 9. Members of the association are accused, among other things, of blocking aid deliveries to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
As a result of the sanctions, any assets of those affected in the United States will be blocked. US citizens or people located in the United States are prohibited from doing business with the sanctioned organizations and individuals. Banks that do business with them may also face sanctions.
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, among other areas. The number of settlers in the West Bank, which lies between the Israeli mainland and Jordan, has now risen to around half a million. Including East Jerusalem, the number is as high as 700,000.
In 2016, the UN Security Council described these settlements as a violation of international law and called on Israel to stop all settlement activities. Israel’s right-wing religious leadership is nevertheless pushing ahead with settlement expansion.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
