Three US officials revealed that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on two hardline Israeli government ministers over settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were among the possible steps discussed at a White House National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, according to Axios.
Earlier this year, President Biden signed an unprecedented executive order authorizing sanctions on Israeli settlers, with two rounds of sanctions issued so far.
When Biden signed the order, senior White House officials recommended that the two extremist ministers be punished in turn.
The Biden administration is deeply frustrated by the Israeli government’s policy of expanding settlements and weakening the Palestinian Authority, and because the most extreme members of the government are openly allied with extremist settler groups.
The White House meeting came after another spike in violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians, and the Israeli government’s decision to plan and build another 5,000 housing units in settlements and legalize five outposts.
The International Court of Justice stated that Israel illegally annexed large parts of Palestinian territory through settlements.
The Biden administration also considers the settlements to be inconsistent with international law.
