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The US said on Tuesday that it would impose visa bans on extremist Israeli settlers and others responsible for attacks on civilians in the West Bank, part of what the state department said was an effort to promote peace and stability in the occupied territory.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken announced the sanctions after warning Israel during a visit to Tel Aviv last week that Washington would take its own actions to punish attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.
“We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank,” Blinken said in a statement.
The restrictions would also apply to anyone “taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services and basic necessities”, a reference to settler raids that have targeted parts of daily life such as funeral processions or farming.
The state department did not name individuals who would be affected, but the first visa bans — due to be announced this week — would apply to both Israelis and Palestinians, said people familiar with the plan. The bans could also apply to immediate family members. Individuals’ names are not expected to be made public.
The Biden administration has offered support for Israel’s effort to dismantle Hamas but has been increasingly concerned about how it prosecutes its campaign in Gaza and the high rate of civilian casualties from weeks of bombardment in the enclave’s north.
Washington has also sounded the alarm about violence in the occupied West Bank, which surged since Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel on October 7, triggering war with the Jewish state.
More than 246 Palestinians, including 65 children, have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, according to the UN. Most were killed by Israeli forces, but at least eight were killed by settlers. Four Israelis, including three soldiers, have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7.
American officials are also trying to take steps to promote the creation of a Palestinian state after the war. The fate of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have expanded in recent years under the Netanyahu government, are among the most challenging issues in the conflict, which has been the subject of decades of failed peace efforts.
US President Joe Biden has also raised his concerns with Israeli leaders about increased extremist settler violence and warned last month that he was considering visa bans.
He previously described increased extremist Jewish settler attacks as “pouring gasoline” on the already heightened situation in the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel.
Additional reporting by Chloe Cornish in Jerusalem
