The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on a group of three extremist Israeli West Bank settlers who are accused of harassing and attacking Palestinians in an attempt to pressure them to leave their land. The U.S. State Department announced sanctions and visa restrictions against settler Zvi Bar Yosef and his outpost. Currently sanctioned in the U.K., Bar Yosef is accused of acting violently against Palestinians in the West Bank. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that “there is no justification for extremist violence against civilians or forcing families from their homes, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, race, or religion.”
Quick Read
- The U.S. has imposed sanctions on three Israeli West Bank settlers, Zvi Bar Yosef, Moshe Sharvit, and Neriya Ben Pazi, for their involvement in violent acts against Palestinians and efforts to forcibly displace them from their land.
- Bar Yosef and Sharvit, who were already sanctioned by the U.K., along with their outposts, are now facing U.S. sanctions and visa restrictions due to their aggressive actions in the West Bank.
- The sanctions come after British officials reported that Sharvit and another settler intimidated Palestinian families at gunpoint and damaged property to displace Palestinian communities.
- Ben Pazi is sanctioned for expelling Palestinian shepherds from large areas of land, contributing to the ongoing tensions in the region.
- The U.S. measures prevent the sanctioned individuals and their outposts from accessing the U.S. financial system and prohibit transactions with American citizens.
- These actions align with President Joe Biden’s executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank responsible for attacks on Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, marking a significant stance against extremism in the occupied territories.
- To date, nine individuals and their properties have been sanctioned under this executive order, according to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control database.
The Associated Press has the story:
US sanctions 3 Israeli W. Bank settlers & their outposts for violence against Palestinians
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on a group of three extremist Israeli West Bank settlers who are accused of harassing and attacking Palestinians in an attempt to pressure them to leave their land. The U.S. State Department announced sanctions and visa restrictions against settler Zvi Bar Yosef and his outpost. Currently sanctioned in the U.K., Bar Yosef is accused of acting violently against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Moshe Sharvit, a settler also already sanctioned in the U.K., allegedly attacked Palestinians and Israeli human rights activists in the vicinity of his outpost, which is also now sanctioned by the U.S.
British officials in February stated that Sharvit and another settler threatened Palestinian families at gunpoint and destroyed property as part of a “ targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities.”
Additionally, sanctions were imposed on Neriya Ben Pazi, who attacked and expelled Palestinian shepherds from hundreds of acres of land as recently as August 2023.
The U.S. sanctions block the men and their outposts from using the U.S. financial system and bar American citizens from dealing with them.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that “there is no justification for extremist violence against civilians or forcing families from their homes, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, race, or religion.”
In February, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that targets Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the occupied territory.
Currently, nine people and their properties have been sanctioned under the new executive order targeting West Bank settlers according to Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control database.
