The US imposed sanctions on two Israeli outposts in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the latest move against settlement activity it says is an obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The US Treasury Department added two entities, Moshes Farm and Zvis Farm, as well as three Israeli nationals, to its list of sanctioned entities, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's website.
Axios reported late on Wednesday, citing three US officials, that the outposts would be targeted with sanctions because they were used as a base for attacks on Palestinians by settlers deemed to be extremist.
The administration in February imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank, signaling growing US displeasure with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The administration said at the time that Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank was inconsistent with international law.
Israel has stepped up raids in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October. United Nations' records show at least 358 people in the Palestinian territory have been killed since Oct. 7, a quarter of them children.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Thursday that “there is no justification for extremist violence against civilians or forcing families from their homes, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, race, or religion.”
Currently, nine people and their properties have been sanctioned under the new executive order targeting West Bank settlers according to Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control database.
