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Biden to punish ‘radical Israeli settlers’ after nearly sanctioning senior Israeli ministers

Biden slated to issue executive order Thursday targeting Jewish in Judea and Samaria who have been accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs.

By World Israel News Staff

President Joe Biden is poised to issue an executive order Thursday targeting Jews living in Judea and Samaria who have been accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs following the October 7th invasion of southwestern Israel by Gaza terrorists, Politico reported Thursday.

According to a U.S. official cited in the report, as well as documents obtained by Politico, the president is expected to sign an executive order later today sanctioning Jews in Judea and Samaria who are suspected of involvement in violent incidents against or clashes with Palestinian Arabs.

The National Security Council has declined to respond to the report, and details of the sanctions and the process for adding names to the sanctions list have yet to be disclosed.

However, both the State Department and Treasury Department are said to be working on the planned sanctions, which will include directives to financial institutions to limit or ban transactions with sanctioned individuals.

According to a report by Axios Thursday, the sanctions would not be limited to those suspected of involvement in violent incidents, but could also be applied to Israelis living in Judea and Samaria who are suspected of providing funding or support for those accused of violence, U.S. officials said.

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The White House even considered sanctioning two senior Israeli government ministers: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Ultimately, however, it was decided not to include the two ministers on the sanctions list.

The Biden administration has for months mulled various sanctions on Israelis in Judea and Samaria accused of violence against Palestinian Arabs, including a possible entry ban on such individuals.

Immediately after the October 7th invasion of Israel, violent clashes broke out in Judea and Samaria between Palestinian Arabs and both Israeli security personnel and Israeli civilians.

The United Nations’ humanitarian office (OCHA) claims it has received reports of close to 500 attacks by Israeli civilians against Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria – though the office did not distinguish between unprovoked attacks and clashes sparked by Palestinian provocations.

Eight Palestinian Arabs have been killed in incidents involving Israeli civilians since October 7th, though seven of the eight were involved in attacks on Israelis.

In one incident on October 11th, Palestinians from the town of Qusra in Samaria attacked the neighboring Israeli town of Esh Kodesh, sparking a gun battle between armed Palestinians against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians from Esh Kodesh.

Four residents of Qusra were killed in the gun battle. Two more Qusra residents were killed a day later during the funeral procession of the four killed during the October 11th gun battle, after members of the funeral procession rioted on Route 60 and began throwing stones at passing Israeli cars.

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In another incident in Samaria, an American Arab visiting relatives near Ramallah was shot and killed on Route 60 while he and several other terrorists threw stones at Israeli cars.