US President Joe Biden directed senior officials in his administration to prepare sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The American newspaper “Politico” reported that it had seen an internal document sent, on Friday, to Biden’s senior aides, most notably Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, in order to work on “making political choices and quick measures against those responsible for the violence in the West Bank.”
Among the options proposed are imposing sanctions on settlers and banning their visas.
The directive includes “persons or entities that have participated directly or indirectly in actions or policies that threaten the security or stability of the West Bank, and take acts of intimidation against civilians there.”
The document indicates that Biden believes that settler violence poses a “serious threat” to peace between Israelis and Palestinians and destabilizes throughout the Middle East.
The document came shortly after Biden published an opinion article in the American newspaper, The Washington Post, in which he revealed his intentions regarding a similar step.
He wrote in the article: “The United States is prepared to take special steps, including issuing a visa ban against extremists, who attack civilians in the West Bank.”
Politico explained that the US administration seeks to show that it supports Palestinian civilians, despite its strong defense of Israel’s right to take revenge on Hamas.
#Biden #orders #preparation #sanctions #extremist #settlers #West #Bank
2023-11-19 12:35:36
