US imposes sanction on extremist Israeli settlers amid growing violence in West Bank, Netanyahu reacts

Amid the brewing tensions, the United States announced fresh sanctions against extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The US is considering it as an attempt to curb the worsening settler violence in the Palestinian region by reprimanding the extremist groups which are funded by the government of Israel.

According to The Guardian, the sanction targeted one organisation and one individual which Washington claimed had long involvement in the intimidation of Palestinians. The US Treasury made them “specially designated nationals”, which means their assets are blocked and US citizens and companies are prohibited from dealing with them. While announcing the sanctions Washington accused the Israeli settlers of using intimidation against Palestinians to seize their land.

The Israeli group in question was Hashomer Yosh, which was known for providing security for illegal settler outposts. Some of these outposts were already sanctioned by the US in the past. According to The Guardian, the controversial group has been active in south Hebron hills, at the southern end of the West Bank, which has been a focus of Israeli settler violence against local Bedouin inhabitants.

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“After all 250 Palestinian residents of Khirbet Zanuta [a village at the centre of the struggle for land] were forced to leave in late January, Hashomer Yosh volunteers fenced off the village to prevent the residents from returning,” the US State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said in a statement.

Netanyahu slammed the sanctions

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the decision and his office said that it viewed them “with utmost severity” and that the issue was under “pointed discussion” with Washington. It is pertinent to note that Hashomer Yosh is officially a non-government organisation, but it has been funded and supported in recent years by Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.

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The Israeli premier’s office issued a harsh response to the sanctions. “Israel views with utmost severity the imposition of sanctions on citizens of Israel. The issue is in a pointed discussion with the US," the office averred.

When it comes to the individual, Washington imposed sanctions against Yitzhak Levi Filant, the security coordinator at Yitzhar settlement, which is located just south of Nablus. Filant, just like other settler security coordinators draws a salary directly from the Israeli Defence Minister.

“Although Filant’s role is akin to a security or law enforcement officer, he has engaged in malign activities outside the scope of his authority,” Miller said. “In February 2024, he led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands," he added.

In the statement, Washington concluded that “the United States will continue to take action to promote accountability for those who commit and support extremist violence affecting the West Bank.”

With inputs as agencies.