America imposes a travel ban on settlers who targeted Palestinians in the West Bank
Jerusalem Post
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during yesterday's meetings that the Biden administration is preparing to announce a visa ban against Israeli settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel. A US official has confirmed the announcement to AFP.
The Israeli official says that the announcement is likely to include only the number of settlers banned from the United States, rather than their names, explaining that the United States hopes that anonymity will serve as a deterrent against those who are considering targeting Palestinians who will not know whether they are blacklisted or not.
The Israeli official says the visa ban could be imposed as early as next week.
The idea was first announced earlier this month in an opinion piece by US President Joe Biden in the Washington Post.
During a press conference last night, Blinken said: "We are looking to the Israeli government to take some additional steps to really put an end to this. At the same time, we are thinking about our own steps."
The French Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday that the European Union should also consider punishing violent Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in the West Bank.
An Israeli official told The Times of Israel earlier this month that the government has intensified its activities to combat this phenomenon, and several arrests have already been made in recent weeks.
