Biden takes action
A major step by President Joe Biden is the sanctioning of four Israeli settlers on charges of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. The executive order seeks to respond to the rising violence, which Biden characterizes as reaching unbearable levels.
Sanctions Details
These sanctions bar these people from using all US property, assets, and the American financial system. This is a unique occasion for the US to sanction Israelis and occurs after the spike in violence following the Hamas attack on Israel in October.
The order allows the US government to impose sanctions against any foreigners who assault, threaten, or appropriate what belongs to Palestinians.
This action by Biden occurs as he is visiting Michigan, which is home to a significant Arab-American community that is critical of his support for Israel. It shows the president’s worries about settler brutality and a change from last year’s visa restrictions. Israel complained, stating that most West Bank settlers are ‘law-abiding.’
The disagreement underscores a growing divide between the US and Israel involving the issue of an independent Palestinian state, also referred to as a two-state solution.
Summarily, the sanctions by President Biden on Israeli settlers underline a resolve to deal with the violence in the West Bank.
This choice further complicates the standoff between the US and Israel, which had already become tense due to the different views of both leaders on the road to long-term regional stability.
