Just two months after introducing visa-free entry to Israel, the United States is banning Israeli settlers from traveling to the United States if they are known to engage in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
On Tuesday, the US State Department announced that it had begun imposing visa restrictions on “individuals suspected of involvement in attacks on peace, security or stability in the West Bank.”
Hours after the announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told a news conference, “There is unfortunately violence perpetrated by extremists that we must condemn,” while many U.S. officials called Israel to implement stricter measures against such incidents.
Although some view the visa ban as a positive step, others say it falls far short of what the United States can actually do to curb Israeli violence. Observers also raised concerns about a loophole in the policy that allows U.S.-Israeli dual nationals to get away scot-free if they commit violence.
Here’s what you need to know about the ban and its impact:
What does the US settler visa ban stipulate?
Details of the ban were not specified, but the first ones were imposed on Tuesday.
Israeli citizens who meet the ban criteria and have a US visa will be notified of their cancellation. Those who do not yet have a visa and apply for one will have their application rejected. Although not the focus of the policy, Palestinians who have committed acts of violence will also face the same repercussions.
Blacklisted settlers will also not be eligible for the Electronic Travel Authorization System, a visa waiver introduced by US President Joe Biden for Israelis in September.
Why does the United States restrict settler visas?
The United States said the move was an extension of its continued opposition to settler violence after pushing Israel “to do more to hold extremist settlers accountable who have carried out violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.”
Since October 7, Biden and other US officials have repeatedly warned Israel to end settler violence in the region. Such cases usually involve direct harm to Palestinians, including victims, as well as damage to their properties.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that during his trip to Israel last week, he made clear that the United States “is prepared to take action using our own authorities,” according to a House press release White.
U.S. officials, including Blinken and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, said Washington’s steps should not prevent Israel from taking its own steps and that the United States continues to engage with Israeli officials to protect Palestinians from such attacks.
Many Israeli far-right politicians have, however, expressed support for settler activities, and accountability for such events is rare and often overseen by the Israeli military. Miller said that although Israel has placed some perpetrators in administrative detention, they must also be prosecuted.
The Israeli government has also enabled attacks by improving access to firearms permits. In July, Ben-Gvir announced that Israeli police would no longer confiscate weapons from Israeli settlers who shoot Palestinians.
Additionally, settlement expansion harms progress toward peace and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, experts say. In phone calls with world leaders since October 7, Biden and Blinken have reiterated their commitment to establishing a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
How many people could be affected?
It is unclear how many people the ban would cover, but since the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, an average of seven daily cases of settler violence against Palestinians have been reported in the West Bank, according to the Bureau of the United Nations for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Before October 7, there were an average of three cases per day in 2023.
The ban can also apply to immediate family members of settlers who engage in violence.
Miller said it would affect “dozens” of settlers and their families, although he did not give a more precise number or identify those targeted by the ban due to privacy rules.
Israeli settlers who have a US passport and do not require a US visa will not be affected by the ban. Estimates suggest that at least 200,000 Israeli-American dual nationals live in Israel.
In total, Israel has more than 700,000 settlers spread across 150 government-sanctioned settlements and 128 unauthorized outposts around the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In 2015, research by an Oxford University professor showed that 60,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank also held American passports. It is unclear how much this figure has changed over the past eight years.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War in 1967, Israelis have built settlements that most countries consider illegal. Israel rejects such characterizations on the grounds that it has historical ties to that country.
How significant is the ban?
The ban has received mixed responses since its implementation, with some viewing it as a step forward and others calling it “hollow.”
The policy has been described as a move aimed at establishing peace and security in the West Bank as the war intensifies in Gaza.
The United States has been a strong supporter of Israel’s war against the enclave, but this punitive decision indicates that American policy is at odds with the Israeli government’s measures.
“This is an important signal that the administration is taking this issue more seriously,” Adam Shapiro, advocacy director for Israel-Palestine at Democracy for the Arab World Now, told Tel Aviv Tribune.
He added that behind the scenes, the Biden administration was considering additional sanctions. The United States is under pressure to take stronger action against Israel, including calling for a ceasefire.
“This action is largely meaningless and symbolic,” but it is an opportunity to push for more concrete actions, particularly against settlement projects in general, Shapiro said.
Are there other countries that impose such bans?
Several European countries have also raised the possibility of sanctions against Israeli settlers in recent weeks.
The European Union is currently considering a proposal for such sanctions, the Reuters news agency reported.
In November, France also said the EU should consider such measures, citing increasing attacks in the West Bank and deteriorating “prospects for a two-state solution?” “.