U.S. issues sanctions against four Israeli settlers in West Bank

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an executive order allowing the United States to impose sanctions and visa bans on Israeli settlers accused of causing unrest in the West Bank. The U.S. Department of State on Thursday issued sanctions on four people who the department said have escalated violence against civilians in the West Bank. The State Department accused three men of threatening and committing acts of violence against Palestinians and accused one man of assaulting Israeli activists. The measure blocks David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil, Shalom Zicherman, and Yinon Levi from entering the United States and from using American financial systems. The men are not American citizens.

Has there been any hint of the White House doing this? In early December, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions, for dozens of “extremist settlers” who he said had committed violent acts against Palestinians in the West Bank. The restrictions banned individuals from traveling to the United States. President Biden in an op-ed published in November by the Washington Post wrote that Israel should do more to stem violence between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the region. Leaders from a coalition of European Union countries in December condemned an increase in attacks by Israeli settlers. The Israeli government has said it is taking steps to control the violence.

Dig deeper: Listen to Emma Freire, Myrna Brown, and Paul Butler’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Israel’s judicial reform.