An executive order by the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Israelis who undermine the peace, security and stability of the West Bank.
US President Donald Trump has lifted sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of involvement in violence against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This information was reported on the new website of the White House on Monday. Citing information published on the White House’s new website, Reuters reported that Trump rescinded Executive Order 14115 issued on February 1, 2024. The executive order imposed sanctions on individuals who undermine the peace, security and stability of the West Bank.
At the time, former President Joe Biden’s administration imposed sanctions on numerous Israeli settler individuals and organizations, freezing their assets in the United States and prohibiting US citizens from doing business with them. Now in office, Trump has completely reversed a major policy move of the Biden administration. While much of the world’s attention is focused on the Gaza war, continued Israeli settler violence and land grabs against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have worried some of Israel’s Western allies.
The Biden administration has repeatedly called on the government of Israel to take action against these extremist attackers. But the US imposed sanctions against the attackers after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took no action. Israel has occupied the Jordan River and the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The Palestinians want the West Bank as the core of their independent state. Israel is building Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which most of the world considers illegal. But Israel disagrees with it, claiming that it has historical and religious ties to the territory. The US had long considered these settlers illegal. But Trump changed this position of the US in his first term and recognized the settlements in the West Bank as “legitimate”. After Biden came to power, the US reverted to its old position on this matter.