The Biden administration imposed sanctions on two Israeli outposts and three settlers it accused of undermining stability in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, and appealed to Israel to do more to prevent settler violence that Washington says is an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The State Department said the outposts known as Moshe’s Farm and Zvi’s Farm had been bases for violence against Palestinians. The administration in February imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank, signalling growing U.S. displeasure with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
While voicing growing frustration with the Palestinian civilian toll from Israel’s war against Hamas, Washington has repeatedly asked Israel to hold violent settlers accountable and complained that its actions allowing settlement expansion diminish hopes for a two-state solution.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the United States would go on taking action against those engaging in what he called extremist violence and threatening peace and security in the West Bank.
“It is critical that Israel take additional action to stop settler violence and hold accountable those responsible for it, not just for the sake of the victims of this violence, but for Israel’s own security and standing in the world,” Miller said in a press briefing.
