Watan-The United States has enforced sanctions against a close aide of the Israeli Minister of National Security, affiliated with the far-right, and two groups that collected funds for two Israeli individuals accused of perpetrating violent acts by settlers.
This move represents another step by the United States aimed at individuals and entities Washington holds responsible for exacerbating violence in the occupied West Bank. These sanctions, coupled with those already imposed this year on five settlers and two unauthorized settlement locations, underscore the increasing American dissatisfaction with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, the measures implemented on Friday freeze any U.S. assets owned by the sanctioned individuals and prohibit Americans from engaging in transactions with them. The targeted organizations had previously faced sanctions for initiating campaigns to aid settlers implicated in violent incidents.
Actions taken by the U.S. administration under President Joe Biden against Israeli settlers have incensed members of the far-right within Netanyahu’s coalition government, who advocate for the expansion of Jewish settlements and the eventual annexation of the West Bank to Israel. Meanwhile, Palestinians aspire to include the West Bank as part of their prospective state.
These developments unfold amidst the strained relationship between Washington and its ally Israel, strained further by the conflict in Gaza and President Biden’s calls for Israel to exercise restraint in its response to retaliatory attacks from Iran.
Ben Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of the far-right group Lehava, which opposes intermingling between Jews and others and incites against Arabs under the guise of religion and national security, was among those sanctioned by Washington. Gopstein claims Lehava has five thousand members.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, asserted that members of Lehava have engaged in “destabilizing violence in the West Bank.” Miller cautioned that, under Gopstein’s leadership, Lehava and its members have perpetrated violent acts or threats against Palestinians, often targeting sensitive or volatile areas. He warned of further measures if Israel fails to take action to prevent extremist attacks amid escalating violence in the West Bank.
The European Union also declared its intention to impose sanctions on Lehava and other groups associated with settlers involved in violence.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gopstein, a prominent Israeli figure targeted by American sanctions, has close ties to Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who resides in a West Bank settlement and shares familial connections with Gopstein.
Similarly to Gopstein, Ben Gvir was a follower of the late extremist nationalist rabbi Meir Kahane, whose movement (Kahane Chai) was designated by Washington as a global terrorist organization.
Ben Gvir criticized the sanctions imposed on Lehava and “our dear settlers who have never engaged in terrorism or harmed anyone” on Friday. He dismissed the allegations against them as “baseless accusations” made by Palestinian groups and vandals.
In a statement from his office, Ben Gvir urged Western countries to cease collaboration with “these anti-Semitic elements” and to halt the persecution campaign against Zionist settlers.