The Biden administration sanctioned three private Israeli companies for their roles in expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, marking a significant escalation in U.S. actions against settler activities involving the alleged dispossessing of Palestinian-owned private land to facilitate settlement activity, Axios reported.
Announced jointly by the Department of the Treasury and the State Department, the Biden administration on Monday imposed sanctions on three private Israeli companies for their involvement in constructing settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
This action broadens U.S. measures against settlement activities and targets private companies for the first time.
The targeted firms include Amana, described as the largest organization driving settlement expansion and illegal outpost development, and construction companies Binyanei Bar Amena and Eyal Hari Yehuda. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, these companies were directly involved in dispossessing Palestinian-owned private land to facilitate settlement activity.
"We once again call on the government of Israel to take action and hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in violence, forced displacement, and the dispossession of private land," Miller said.
Alongside the companies, the U.S. also sanctioned three individuals for their roles in settlement-related activities:
- Shabtai Koshlevsky is linked to the previously sanctioned Hashomer Yosh organization.
- Itamar Yehuda Levi is associated with Eyal Hari Yehuda Construction Company.
- Zohar Sabah, who allegedly engaged in threats and acts of violence against Palestinians.
The Treasury Department noted that a license will allow financial transactions with these entities to wind down until Jan. 10, offering a limited period to settle debts or obligations involving the sanctioned firms.
Israel's current government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has aligned itself with pro-settlement factions. Critics of the administration's policy see the sanctions as a warning against further settlement expansion, which the U.S. considers a violation of international law.
The decision has drawn the ire of Israeli settler groups and the Netanyahu government, who are urging President-elect Donald Trump to overturn these measures when he takes office. Reversing the sanctions could become one of Trump's first foreign policy actions, given his administration's expected support for Israel's settlement policies.
The sanctions represent a significant shift in the U.S. approach to settlement activity, underscoring the Biden administration's commitment to addressing actions that are said to destabilize the peace process.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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