Amid mounting irritation in Washington about Israel’s course during its Gaza conflict, Joe Biden has issued an executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians. 

Four people are initially subject to financial penalties and visa restrictions under the order, and US officials stated they were considering whether to prosecute more attackers whose attacks have been more intense during the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

Sanctioning officials was one of the options, according to at least one article prior to the executive order. 

Human rights groups assert that settlers have attacked many tiny Bedouin communities, setting cars on fire, and driven out the residents. Palestinian authorities claim that some Palestinians have died. 

Biden Statement Regarding Settler Violence

Biden stated in the order that the West Bank’s extreme settler violence has reached unbearable heights and poses a major threat to the region’s peace, security, and stability as well as those of Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank. 

He remarked these acts jeopardize US foreign policy goals, including as maintaining the viability of a two-state solution and guaranteeing that Israelis and Palestinians enjoy comparable levels of freedom, prosperity, and security. 

They also jeopardize US people and interests, undermining Israel’s security and raising the possibility of further regional destabilization throughout the Middle East. 

As the number of victims in the battle rises—which started on October 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian organization that controls Gaza—Biden has come under increasing pressure for his administration’s staunch support of Israel. 

As part of his efforts to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to exercise more caution in its military operations aimed at eliminating Hamas, Biden issued the unusual order against the US’s closest Middle Eastern partner. 

Senior US officials, including Biden, have cautioned repeatedly that Israel needs to take action to put an end to Israeli settlers’ violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Palestinian authorities and activists claim that this violence has increased since the beginning of the Gaza war. 

According to a story on the XYZ website, the Biden administration had also discussed acting against two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. 

A US visa ban for Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was announced last month. The new order is not intended to target US citizens, but it will grant the Treasury department the power to apply financial sanctions on settlers who use violence. Many of the settlers on the West Bank are citizens of the United States, and they are not allowed by US law to do business with the sanctioned individuals. 

Amidst mounting concerns that nations like the US and the UK may be considering unilateral statehood recognition, Israel is facing increasing international dissatisfaction over its persistent reluctance to consider the creation of a viable Palestinian state. 

Following remarks made by UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron last week regarding recognition the day following the end of the Gaza War, US officials have indicated that the State Department has been directed to look into the possibilities for the creation of an independent Palestinian state that would provide Israel with security guarantees. 

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the state department, stated during a press briefing that the endeavor had been a goal of Biden’s administration but he would not provide specifics on the agency’s own investigation into the matter. 

In the midst of the Gaza War, recent actions have brought attention to the growing international dissatisfaction with Netanyahu, who has long sought to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state. The US and the UK, among other states, have long supported the goal of a Palestinian state as part of a negotiated peace process. 

In recent weeks, the Israeli prime minister has discussed Israel’s prolonged military security rule over Gaza, but he has rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority that has been revitalized. 

The recognition of a Palestinian state, which was previously seen to be the last step, appears to have changed in priority according to signals from Washington and London. 

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