Middle East: Violence in the West Bank: USA sanctions settler group

The US government is imposing sanctions on the Israeli settler group Amana because of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The group is “an important part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement,” said the US Treasury Department. Through loans and financing, it supports the expropriation of land and the establishment of settler positions from which violence against Palestinians is carried out. The US accuses Amana of threatening the stability of the West Bank.

The US government has recently imposed increased sanctions due to settler violence. As a result, potential assets of those affected will be blocked in the USA. U.S. 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 also face sanctions.

There are currently repeated reports of settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The European Union has already imposed sanctions against settlers. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank among three million Palestinians. At the end of 2016, the UN Security Council called on Israel to completely stop settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The settlements have been described as a violation of international law and a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East.