The US measures target three Israeli individuals and five entities over violence in the occupied West Bank.
The United States has announced new sanctions against several Israeli settlers and affiliated groups, accusing them of involvement in violence or threats of violence targeting civilians, seizure of property or other actions threatening security in the occupied West Bank.
The sanctions announced Thursday by the US State Department and the Treasury Department target Israelis Isachar Manne, Reut Ben Haim and Aviad Shlomo Sarid, as well as four illegal Israeli settlement outposts: Manne Farm, Meitarim Farm, Hamahoch Farm and Neriya’s Farm.
The United States also blacklisted Lehava, an umbrella group for Israeli settlers, which it described as the “largest violent extremist organization in Israel” with more than 10,000 members.
“The United States remains deeply concerned about extremist violence and instability in the West Bank, which undermines Israel’s security,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Thursday.
“We strongly encourage the Israeli government to take immediate steps to hold these individuals and entities to account. In the absence of such steps, we will continue to impose our own accountability measures.”
The sanctions freeze all assets held by the targeted individuals in U.S. jurisdictions and prevent Americans from doing business with them.
Lehava quickly criticized the U.S. designation and President Joe Biden, saying the group would not stop its actions.
“Biden’s actions will not deter us – we will continue to act fearlessly to save the daughters of Israel, much to the dismay of Biden and other enemies of Israel,” he said.
The EU had already placed Lehava on its asset freeze and visa ban blacklist for its attacks on Palestinians earlier this year.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has seen a surge in violence over the past year, particularly since Israel began its war on Gaza in October.
Since then, at least 553 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the territory, and 9,510 have been arrested, according to Palestinian officials.
About 3 million Palestinians live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and more than 500,000 Israelis reside in more than 100 settlements throughout the territory.
In early July, Israeli NGO Peace Now reported that the Israeli government had approved 5,295 new housing units in a multitude of illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank and recognized three new settlement outposts.
The expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, considered illegal under international law, is often cited as the main obstacle to any lasting peace agreement with the Palestinians within the framework of a two-state solution.