West Bank violence escalates as Trump revokes sanctions on Jewish settlers

US President Donald Trump has rescinded sanctions imposed by the former Biden administration on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of being involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the White House website of the new administration said.

The Executive Order 14115 was issued on February 1, 2024, authorising the imposition of certain sanctions "on Persons Undermining Peace Security, and Stability in the West Bank".

It was among 78 executive orders rescinded by Trump as soon as he stepped into the Oval Office.

Trump's decision is a reversal of a major policy action by former President Joe Biden's administration, which had slapped sanctions on numerous Israeli settlers and entities, freezing their US assets and generally barring Americans from dealing with them.

US sanctions on settlers landed after the Biden administration repeatedly urged the Israeli government to take action to hold extremists to account for actions that Washington believes set back hopes for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Provoke violence in the West Bank

The reversal follows a fragile ceasefire in Gaza on Sunday, along with escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and ongoing land grabs in the occupied territory.

A Haaretz article said that Netanyahu would try to create conditions in the West Bank that could undermine the Gaza ceasefire deal as he is only interested in his political survival.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his party members resigned from the Israeli government after the Gaza ceasefire was announced.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Minister of Finance and leader of the Religious Zionism party, who advocates for Jewish settlements in Gaza after expelling over a million Palestinians, also threatened to leave the government if the ceasefire holds.

On Sunday night, extremist settlers set fire to homes and cars in several Palestinian villages just as millions of Israelis were celebrating the return of three hostages.

And on Tuesday, as many as 21 Palestinians sustained injuries as illegal Israeli settlers attacked two Palestinian towns near the city of Qalqilya, northern occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated those injured by the settlers' attacks in the towns of Jinsafut and Al-Funduq.

The victims suffered bruises as they were beaten by the settlers and also suffered from tear gas inhalation fired by the Israeli forces, the humanitarian group said.

Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. It has built illegal Jewish settlements.

During his first term in 2019, Trump had abandoned the long-held US position that the settlements are illegal before it was restored by Biden.

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Source: TRT