Washington is ready to impose sanctions on settlers involved in West Bank violence

A senior official in the US State Department announced on Friday that the United States is ready to restrict the issuance of entry visas to Israeli settlers engaged in acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. 

The source, who requested anonymity, stated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed this information to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting on Thursday in Jerusalem. 

The sanctions could be announced early next week, but the official did not specify the number of individuals who might be affected. 

The official spoke to reporters accompanying Blinken to Dubai, where he participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, as part of discussions on food security and climate.  

Blinken was scheduled to attend a meeting with several of his counterparts from various Arab countries on the sidelines of the conference. 

On Thursday, Blinken urged Israel to bring "settler extremists accountable for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank" to justice, as violence has escalated since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7. 

The United States condemned the violence committed by settlers and called on Israeli authorities to put an end to it. 

Blinken stated in a press conference Thursday evening in Tel Aviv, "We’re looking to the Israeli Government to take some additional steps to really put a stop to this.  And at the same time, we’re considering our own steps.” 

AFP