Host-Conflict - USA imposes further sanctions on Israeli settlers
The U.S. government is imposing additional sanctions on individuals and institutions associated with the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. According to the U.S. State Department, those targeted were involved in violence against Palestinian civilians, unlawfully seized their land, and threatened "peace, stability, and security in the West Bank."
Specifically, the measures target three individuals, four settlement outposts in the West Bank, and the extremist Jewish group Lehava.
Previously, the U.S. had already sanctioned Lehava founder Ben-Zion Gopstein, who is considered a close associate of radical Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Two of the now-sanctioned individuals are reportedly leading figures in the radical Israeli group Tzav 9. Members of the organization are accused of blocking humanitarian aid supplies to the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
As a result of the Sanctions, the assets of the designated individuals may be blocked in the U.S. U.S. citizens or people present in the United States are prohibited from doing business with the sanctioned organizations and individuals. Banks dealing with them could also face sanctions.
Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. The number of settlers in the West Bank, which lies between the Israeli heartland and Jordan, has since grown to approximately half a million. Including East Jerusalem, the population is over 700,000.
In 2016, the UN Security Council labeled these settlements a violation of international law and demanded that Israel halt all settlement activities. Israel's right-religious leadership continues to push forward with settlement construction.
- The ongoing conflict in the West Bank has led to numerous wars and conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian territories, including the Gazastrip.
- The U.S. Department of State has expressed its concern over hosting a potential host conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories if tensions continue to escalate due to Israeli occupation.
- The imposition of sanctions by the United States of America on individuals and organizations associated with the Israeli occupation in the West Bank is a response to the hostilities and violations of peace in the region.
- The Westjordanland, a disputed area between Israel and the Palestinian territories, is a hotbed of conflicts due to conflicting claims over territory and resources.
- The implementation of sanctions against Israeli settlers and extremist groups operating in the West Bank has sparked hostilities and conflicts from their supporters within Israel and beyond, further complicating the already complex situation in the Middle East.
