Biden Sanctions Four Israeli Settlers Accused Of Attacking Palestinians In The West Bank

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden  on Thursday issued an executive order  that targets Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been accused of attacking Palestinians  in the occupied territory, imposing financial sanctions and visa bans  in an initial round against four individuals.

Those settlers were involved in acts of violence, as well as threats and attempts to destroy or seize Palestinian property, according to the order. The penalties aim to block the four from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them. U.S. officials said they were evaluating whether to punish others involved in attacks that have intensified during the Israel-Hamas war .

Palestinian authorities say some Palestinians have been killed, and rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing evacuations.

This violence poses a grave threat to peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the Middle East region, and threatens the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

Biden is facing growing criticism  for his administrations strong support of Israel as casualties mount in the conflict, which began when Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

His order is a rare step against Americas closest ally in the Mideast who, Biden says, has the right to defend itself. But the Democratic president has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government to show greater restraint in its military operations aimed at rooting out Hamas.

The order also notes that the violence by settlers undermines U.S. foreign policy objectives, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom.

Biden has reinvigorated calls for an independent Palestinian state that would exist alongside Israel, a goal that has eluded American presidents and Middle East diplomats for decades. Biden has said that finding a way to achieve Palestinian sovereignty once the Israel-Hamas war ends is essential to building a durable peace.

Netanyahu has rejected such an idea throughout his political career and has told U.S. officials he remains opposed  to any postwar plan that includes establishment of a Palestinian state.

Biden has spoken out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers  and pledged that those those responsible for the violence will be held accountable. He said in late October that the violence by extremist settlers amounted to pouring gasoline on the already burning fires in the Middle East. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now, Biden said.

Israel Defense Forces stepped up raids  across the West Bank after the war began. Hamas militants are present in the West Bank, but largely operate underground because of Israels tight grip on the territory. Palestinians have accused the Israeli military of not preventing attacks by settlers or, at times, of even protecting those settlers.

Sullivan met on Wednesday at the White House with Ron Dermer, Israels minister of strategic affairs. U.S. officials said the Israeli government was notified in advance of the sanctions.

The order will give the Treasury Department the authority to impose financial sanctions on settlers engaged in violence, but is not meant to target U.S. citizens. A substantial number of the settlers in the West Bank hold U.S. citizenship, and they would be prohibited under U.S. law from transacting with the sanctioned individuals.

U.S. lawmakers have zeroed in on the role of Americans or dual citizens in the settler violence and intimidation. In a letter last month, Sen. Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked the White House to take action against any U.S. citizens involved in attacks against Palestinians. He said that could include criminal charges and financial sanctions.

Theres got to be a strong message against the extreme activities taken by some settlers on the West Bank, jeopardizing the lives of Palestinians as well as the peace in the region, Cardin, D-Md., told reporters Thursday.

Bidens order was first reported by Politico.

Officials said there are no plans to penalize far-right Israeli ministers who have defended the violence by Israeli settlers and have called for the expansion of settlements.

The new executive order comes as Biden was set to visit Michigan  on Thursday to rally support from union members in a key presidential battleground state. The Democratic president has faced sharp criticism from Arab and Muslim leaders  over his handling of the war with Hamas, and the shadow of the conflict has some Democrats worrying that it could have a major effect on the outcome in the November election.

The presidents campaign team has already seen alarming signs of the growing rift with Michigans Arab American community.

Last week, the presidents campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez  traveled to suburban Detroit and found a number of community leaders unwilling to meet with her.  Some frustrated by Bidens Israel policy are working to discourage voters from supporting the president in the general election.

The State Department  announced in December it would impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The department did not announce individual visa bans. But officials said at the time the bans would cover dozens of settlers and their families, with more to come if the violence continued.

___

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.