The United States imposed sanctions on a far-right Israeli group on Thursday, along with three people and on unauthorized outpost settlements in the West Bank.
Sanctions were aimed at Lehava, an Israeli nonprofit that the U.S. State Department called the “largest violent extremist organization in Israel,” blacklisting the group. Lehava is opposed to assimilating Jews with non-Jewish individuals.
The Biden administration charges that members of Lehava have participated in violent acts against Palestinians.
The U.S. also imposed additional sanctions on four unauthorized settlements in the West Bank, saying that the outposts were being weaponized to commit violence against Palestinians by launching attacks and infringing on access to water, among other things. One sanction was applied directly to a settlement owner, Isaschar Manne.
Two more individuals also faced sanctions. They are leaders in Tsav 9, a group reported to have attacked convoys bringing humanitarian aid meant for Gaza.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about extremist violence and instability in the West Bank, which undermines Israel’s own security,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “We strongly encourage the government of Israel to take immediate steps to hold these individuals and entities accountable. In the absence of such steps, we will continue to impose our own accountability measures.”
The sanctions prevent any U.S. entity from working with those reprimanded, freezing assets that might be under U.S. jurisdiction.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River since 1967 and has built settlements that many countries have categorized as illegal. Israel disagrees, citing historical and biblical claims to the areas.
Far-right Israeli officials are upset by the sanctions.
“Biden’s measures won’t deter us — we’ll continue to act fearlessly to save Israel’s daughters, much to the dismay of Biden and Israel’s other enemies,” Lehava said.
Palestinians want the West Bank to be part of an independent state in the future.
The Biden administration deemed the settlements to be inconsistent with international law, switching back to a U.S. policy that had been thrown out by the Trump administration.
