Trump ends U.S. sanctions on far-right settlers in the West Bank

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday rescinded sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of involvement in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the White House website.

The website said Trump revoked Executive Order 14115, issued on Feb. 1, 2024, which authorized sanctions on individuals “undermining peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.”

Trump’s decision marks a reversal of a major policy action by former President Joe Biden’s administration, which had sanctioned several Israeli settler individuals and entities, freezing their U.S. assets and barring Americans from doing business with them.

As much of the world’s attention remains focused on the war in Gaza, escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and land grabs in the occupied territory have raised concerns among some of Israel’s Western allies.

A person speaks as right-wing Israelis stage a convoy protest towards Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, calling for the Jewish resettlement of Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in southern Israel.Reuters

The Biden administration had imposed the sanctions after repeatedly urging the Israeli government to hold extremists accountable for actions that Washington said undermined hopes for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. It has built Jewish settlements there that most countries consider illegal. Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land.

Trump’s approach to settlements has been markedly different. During his first term in 2019, Trump abandoned the long-held U.S. position that the settlements are illegal, a stance Biden later restored.

Israel Ganz, chairman of the main Yesha settler council and a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Reuters in October that he expected the sanctions to be lifted if Trump won the presidency.