Current:Home > reviewsUS sanctions extremist West Bank settler group for violence against Palestinians -GrowthInsight
US sanctions extremist West Bank settler group for violence against Palestinians
View
Date:2025-04-13 10:56:37
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Hilltop Youth, a group of extremist settlers in the Israeli -occupied West Bank who attack Palestinians and their property.
In addition, the State Department placed diplomatic sanctions on two men—Israeli settler Eitan Yardeni, for his connection to violence targeting West Bank civilians and Avichai Suissa, the leader of Hashomer Yosh, a sanctioned group that brings young volunteers to settler farms across the territory, including small farming outposts that rights groups say are the primary drivers of settler violence across the territory.
The sanctions, which expose people to asset freezes and travel and visa bans, come as violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has exploded since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, following the deadly terrorist attacks of October 7th.
Palestinians report verbal and physical harassment, restriction of movement, and face intimidation by settlers circling their properties on motorbikes, cars or horses and spying via drones.
The Treasury Department said Hilltop Youth has carried out killings and mass arson, while rights groups and Palestinians say the group is behind “price tag” attacks – attacks on Palestinian villages in retaliation for perceived efforts to hamper settlement construction.
The group may prove difficult to effectively sanction, as it is loosely organized and decentralized. In addition, Israel’s finance minister has previously vowed to intervene on sanctioned settlers’ behalf.
In the past, sanctioned settlers have told the AP that the measures have had little impact on their finances.
Hilltop Youth has already faced sanctions from the EU and UK.
The Biden administration has been criticized for imposing relatively few sanctions on Israeli extremists. According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control, 27 extremists and entities have been sanctioned by the U.S. under President Joe Biden ’s February 2024 Executive Order related to maintaining West Bank stability.
The Treasury’s Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith said that the U.S. “will continue to hold accountable the individuals, groups, and organizations that facilitate these hateful and destabilizing acts.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said “the actions of these individuals have contributed to creating an environment where violence and instability thrive. Their actions, collectively and individually, undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.”
___
Associated Press writers Julia Frankel and Jack Jeffrey contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
veryGood! (3187)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Florida attorney pleads guilty to trying to detonate explosives near Chinese embassy in Washington
- Olympic golf desperately needs a team format. Here's a proposal.
- When does Katie Ledecky swim today? Paris Olympics swimming schedule for 800 freestyle
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- 2024 Olympics: What Made Triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk Throw Up 10 times After Swim in Seine River
- 17-Year-Old Boy Charged With Murder of 3 Kids After Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Event in England
- USA beach volleyball's perfect top tandem braves storm, delay, shows out for LeBron James
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Maren Morris says 'nothing really scares me anymore' after public feuds, divorce
Ranking
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Simone Biles wins gold, pulls out GOAT necklace with 546 diamonds in it
- Katie Ledecky makes more Olympic history and has another major milestone in her sights
- Trump election subversion case returned to trial judge following Supreme Court opinion
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Vermont mountain communities at a standstill after more historic flooding
- Skunks are driving a rabies spike in Minnesota, report says
- A Tennessee sheriff’s deputy killed a man who entered a jail after firing shots in the parking lot
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Thousands were arrested at college protests. For students, the fallout was only beginning
Vanderpump Rules' Lala Kent Details Terrifying Pregnancy Health Scare That Left Her Breathless
DOE abruptly cancels school bus routes for thousands of Hawaii students
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
With this Olympic gold, Simone Biles has now surpassed all the other GOATs
Does the alphabet song your kids sing sound new to you? Here's how the change helps them
'Chronically single' TikTokers go viral for sharing horrible dating advice