Trump Rescinds Sanctions on Israeli Settlers
US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order lifting sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reports.
The order, signed upon his return to the White House on Monday, reverses sanctions imposed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, in February.
Biden’s executive order had authorized the US Departments of State and Treasury to sanction individuals and groups accused of perpetrating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, freezing their US assets and prohibiting commercial relationships with them. The move came amid growing international concern over escalating settler violence and land grabs in the occupied territory.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, the West Bank has seen a dramatic increase in violence, with at least 860 Palestinians, including 175 children, killed and over 6,700 wounded in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Recent incidents include settlers setting vehicles and properties on fire under the protection of Israeli soldiers, injuring at least 21 Palestinians on Monday and Tuesday alone.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Trump’s decision, stating that “lifting sanctions on extremist settlers encourages them to commit more crimes against our people.”
Conversely, Israeli officials have welcomed Trump’s move as a “historic decision.” Yossi Dagan, head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, hailed the reversal of what he called the “scandalous sanctions,” claiming it signals that “the United States has returned to being our friend.
The sanctions, initially imposed by the Biden administration, came after repeated calls on the Israeli government to take action against settler violence, which Washington believed was undermining prospects for a two-state solution.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, is considered by Palestinians to be the core of their desired independent state. Israeli settlements in the area are deemed illegal under international law, a point disputed by Israel which cites historical and biblical ties to the land.
