The Department of State is today designating Ben Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of Lehava, an organization whose members have engaged in destabilizing violence affecting the West Bank. Under Gopstein’s leadership, Lehava and its members have been involved in acts or threats of violence against Palestinians, often targeting sensitive or volatile areas.
Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating two entities, Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich, for their roles in establishing fundraising campaigns on behalf of two U.S. designated-extremists who engaged in violent activities, Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai, respectively.
We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in the West Bank in recent days and call on Israel to take all appropriate measures to prevent attacks by violent extremist settlers and hold those responsible accountable. The United States will not hesitate to take additional steps to promote accountability if necessary.
State is designating Gopstein pursuant to section 1 (a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order (E.O.) 14115 for being a leader or official of an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, planning, ordering, otherwise directing, or participating in an act of violence or threat of violence targeting civilians, affecting the West Bank, relating to his tenure, as well as for being a leader or official of an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, actions—including directing, enacting, implementing, enforcing, or failing to enforce policies—that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank, relating to his tenure. Treasury’s designations were taken pursuant to E.O. 14115, which authorizes sanctions on persons undermining peace, security, and stability in the West Bank. Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai were designated by the Department of State on February 1, 2024. For more information on today’s action, please see Treasury’s press release.
