Days before leaving office, Biden extends sanctions on Israeli settlers

With less than a week left in office, Biden signs order extending sanctions against a list of Israeli Jews living in Judea and Samaria, accusing them of “extremism” that threatens American foreign policy and the two-state solution.

By World Israel News Staff

President Joe Biden signed an order Tuesday night extending sanctions against a number of Israeli Jews living in Judea and Samaria deemed “extremist” by the Biden administration.

The move comes less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration and the end of Biden’s four years in office.

Biden first signed an executive order enabling federal authorities to freeze the assets of and bar transactions on behalf of individuals flagged by the administration as “extremist Israeli settlers” on February 1, 2024.

The executive order was issued in response to claims by left-wing NGOs in Israel and reports by the United Nations accusing Israeli residents of Judea and Samaria of violence and harassment against Palestinian Arabs after October 7.

On Tuesday, Biden issued a statement announcing that he had signed an order extending the sanctions for another year, calling the alleged actions of the sanctioned settlers an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to American national security and foreign policy.

“The situation in the West Bank — in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction — has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region,” Biden claimed.

“These actions undermine the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom.”

“They also undermine the security of Israel and have the potential to lead to broader regional destabilization across the Middle East, threatening United States personnel and interests,” he added.

“The situation in the West Bank continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”