The Biden administration recently reversed sanctions imposed on 7 individual Israeli settlers previously indicted for attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, labeling the initial move as feckless. Initially, these sanctions included freezing the bank accounts of the settlers, a move that was interpreted as a significant pressure tactic against Israeli policies. However, the U.S. Department of Treasury has now informed the Bank of Israel that these settlers can access their accounts for basic sustenance purposes. This decision effectively nullifies the practical impact of the sanctions, leading to criticism of the administration's actions as a mere PR stunt. The reversal has been reported by various Israeli media outlets and has sparked a debate on the effectiveness and sincerity of the U.S. sanctions policy towards Israel.
US backtracks on sanctioning Israeli settlers in West Bank https://t.co/6PdVGajRS3
1 / Below is the letter the US Department of Treasury sent this week to the Bank of Israel regarding sanctions imposed on settlers involved in attacks against Palestinians which states the Israeli banks can allow those settlers to use their bank accounts for humanitarian needs https://t.co/zY7eYY5xnX
Last night, the pro-Netanyahu right-wing paper Israel Hayom and an anonymous Netanyahu government official attempted to spin people into thinking that the US had somehow reduced its settler sanctions. It didn't, but they relied on people not knowing how US sanctions work. https://t.co/WzGlBKmyor
The U.S. informed Israel that sanctioned West Bank settlers can still access their Israeli bank accounts for basic sustenance purposes, indicating that banks should not feel compelled to close accounts of targeted individuals https://t.co/ufMEN9g6vh
Media Coverage | The Biden administration reverses sanctions imposed on Israeli settlers indicted for fatally attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. According to Israeli media reports, the US administration has unfrozen the bank accounts of Israeli settlers after the Israeli… https://t.co/AgOaQIcmDL
US says Israeli banks don’t have to close accounts of sanctioned settlers https://t.co/3lwQKjgjRl
It strikes me that this sanctioning settlers thing is a feint to try and position Biden as an opponent of his own policies. https://t.co/413a4k38C4
Remember when Biden sanctioned some Israeli settlers, and it was treated as evidence that Biden was pressuring Israel? Well, he just walked it back and gave the settlers access to their bank accounts again. Biden's fecklessness on Israel knows no end https://t.co/wmqKhQa95n
Biden quietly erased the sanctions against a handful of Israeli settlers The comedic PR stunt is now wrapped up https://t.co/9oCPfP2YS3
Sanctioning seven settlers. SEVEN. Then reversing it. Goofy, complicit. and embarrassing. https://t.co/6s6bZgYyPW
Biden quietly reverses the (feckless) sanctions he put on 7 individual settlers, removing the freeze on their accounts & effectively emptying the sanctions of any practical content according to Israel Hayom! It was purely a PR stunt all along to whitewash his complicity in Gaza https://t.co/St0RDI6k2j