Biden issues executive order sanctioning West Bank settlers who engage in violence

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Thursday that hands down sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank who commit acts of violence against Palestinians.

The move, which is a nod to Democrats who have protested against Israel’s actions in its war with Hamas, is the biggest action Biden has taken thus far against Israelis since the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Sanctions will include blocking settlers who have committed acts of violence from accessing U.S. property or assets, from engaging with the American financial system, and from entering the United States. Similarly, Americans will be barred from contributing money, goods, or services to the sanctioned.

“The situation in the West Bank — in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction — has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region,” Biden’s executive order reads.

“These actions undermine the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom,” it continues.