Given the number of countries that "impose" or "intend to impose" sanctions on extremist Israeli settlers who are creating a living nightmare for the already trashed Palestinian living situation, it begs some serious questions:
- How much are these "sanctions" actually going to help Palestinians, when many of these same countries [or (((those))) who run them] send Israel financial and military support that amass to billions of dollars? In other words, how much of a difference will these sanctions make, when a handful of Israelis are "disincentivized" from violently attacking Palestinians, while at the same time Israel is being handed over tens of billions of dollars yearly, plus state-of-the-art military equipment, to do exactly that which apparently this handful of Israelis are supposedly "condemned" for doing?
- How comes that Israeli settlers are not an issue any more and everyone talks about it as though it's nothing — although they're not allowed to settle and expand in the Palestinian land, and, by the international law, they're doing illegal stuff — and the problem is only the most violent and the most extremist of them all? Palestinians have been driven off their land for many decades, with many talking the talk but doing exactly nothing to stop Israel from illegally expanding and settling further into that land. And this leads to the next question:
- What is the chance that these "travel bans" and other "sanctions" aimed at a tiny number of extremely violent Israelis, is nothing more than an attempt to save face, pretend "something is being done", let some steam and frustration out from people in the West and, of course, have some arguments to use in the coming elections?
Biden imposes sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of West Bank violence
WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank, signaling growing U.S. displeasure with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that aims to punish ill-behaved Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians envisage a future state.
The order establishes a system for imposing financial sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals who attack or intimidate Palestinians or seize their property, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.
"Today’s actions seek to promote peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he said.
The State Department sanctions, freezing the U.S. assets of the four men and generally barring Americans from dealing with them
UK places sanctions on Israeli settlers for ‘forcing’ Palestinians from their land
The UK has imposed sanctions against four Israeli nationals, saying they were “extremist settlers” who had violently attacked Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The measures impose strict financial and travel restrictions on the four individuals, who Britain said were involved in “egregious abuses of human rights”.
“Extremist Israeli settlers are threatening Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and forcing them off land that is rightfully theirs,” the UK foreign secretary, David Cameron, said.
“This behaviour is illegal and unacceptable. Israel must also take stronger action and put a stop to settler violence. Too often, we see commitments made and undertakings given, but not followed through.”
The Foreign Office said there had been unprecedented levels of violence by settlers in the West Bank over the past year.
Announcing the restrictions, the Foreign Office said Israel’s “failure to act” had led to “an environment of near total impunity for settler extremists”, with violence in the West Bank reaching record levels in 2023.
Spain to impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers if no EU deal
MADRID, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Spain will impose sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank unilaterally if its European Union partners fail to reach an agreement on the issue, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Monday.
He said Spain, which has also been critical of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, will push for the approval of such sanctions during a meeting of EU's foreign ministers held in Brussels on Monday.
"If there's no agreement, Spain will proceed individually with these sanctions against the violent settlers," Albares told reporters before the meeting.
Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said earlier on Monday he hoped the EU countries would unanimously approve these sanctions.
Last week, French authorities banned 28 Israeli settlers from entering the country, accusing them of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
U.N. figures show that daily settler attacks have more than doubled since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
While international attention has focused on that cross-border assault and Israel's subsequent war there, European officials have also expressed concern about rising violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.