Washington Imposes New Sanctions on Israelis in West Bank

An Israeli military vehicle storms Nur Shams camp in the West Bank (AFP)
An Israeli military vehicle storms Nur Shams camp in the West Bank (AFP)
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Washington Imposes New Sanctions on Israelis in West Bank

An Israeli military vehicle storms Nur Shams camp in the West Bank (AFP)
An Israeli military vehicle storms Nur Shams camp in the West Bank (AFP)

The US imposed a new batch of sanctions on Thursday against extremist Israeli settlers accused of stirring up violence in the occupied West Bank.

“Today, we are imposing sanctions on three Israeli individuals and five entities connected to acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank,” the US State Department said in a statement.

It then specified in particular that it had targeted the far-right Israeli Lehava organization, according to AFP.

In another statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “The United States remains deeply concerned about extremist violence and instability in the West Bank, which undermines Israel’s own security.”

In recent months, the US, UK and Canada have announced sanctions against “extremist Israeli groups” and a number of individuals they say are involved in West Bank violence.

Last April, the EU put two organizations Lehava and the Hilltop Youth on its asset freeze and visa blacklist for their attacks on Palestinians.



HRW Says Hamas Committed War Crimes on Oct. 7

FILE - Israeli soldiers walk past houses destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
FILE - Israeli soldiers walk past houses destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
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HRW Says Hamas Committed War Crimes on Oct. 7

FILE - Israeli soldiers walk past houses destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)
FILE - Israeli soldiers walk past houses destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

Human Rights Watch said Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, and at least four other Palestinian armed groups "committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians during the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel.”

According to its findings, these included "deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian objects; willful killing of persons in custody; cruel and other inhumane treatment; sexual and gender-based violence; hostage taking; mutilation and despoiling of bodies; use of human shields; and pillage and looting.”

In response, Hamas rejected "the lies and blatant bias" towards Israel and demanded Human Rights Watch withdraw its report and apologize.

"The Human Rights Watch report adopted the entire Israeli narrative and moved away from the method of scientific research and the neutral legal position, and became more like an Israeli propaganda document," Hamas said in a statement.

The 230-page HRW report focuses only on the Oct. 7 attacks and does not examine the actions taken by Hamas or Israel during the subsequent war in Gaza. More than 38,400 people have been killed in Israeli ground offensives and bombardments in Gaza since the war began, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.