October 1, 2024- Americans for Peace Now welcomes the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department on violent Israeli settlers and organizations in the occupied West Bank. The nationalist violence against Palestinians has reached the point where even the Israeli government is taking action against the most notorious settlers. Avichai Suisa, the leader of extremist group HaShomer Yosh, Eitan Jordani from the illegal outpost Havat Ma'on and Hilltop Youth certainly deserve to be sanctioned, by both Israel and the U.S.

But individual sanctions against local leaders are not enough. Two powerful Ministers in the Israeli government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, control much of the civilian administration in the West Bank and the police, respectively. Their incitement to violence, land theft and de facto annexation as well as measures taken to protect violent settlers makes them ultimately responsible – along with Prime Minister Netanyahu – for the immense upsurge in anti-Palestinian lawlessness. The Biden Administration should not shrink from sanctioning these Ministers because of their official positions, which only heighten their dangerous irresponsibility.

Moreover, while we support sanctions, the bigger question is that of billions of dollars in U.S. military aid. Without trustworthy measures taken to prevent U.S. aid from being used to fund or defray settlement costs, the American government is indirectly responsible for the violence it condemns. The Biden administration must address the issue of how aid is used, not just in the West Bank but in the ongoing nightmare of the war in Gaza.

“Sanctioning violent nationalist settlers is the tip of the iceberg,” said APN President and CEO Hadar Susskind. “The American government must overhaul its approach to aid to ensure that it is not being used in ways that are contrary to our policies and our values. It is time to put – or withhold – our money where our mouth is.”