On Friday, the United States implemented sanctions against an associate of Israel’s far-right national security minister and two organizations that raised funds for Israeli men accused of settler violence.
These actions are part of ongoing efforts to address the escalating violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which the United States holds certain individuals responsible for.
These sanctions, in addition to previous ones imposed this year, reflect the growing frustration of the United States with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Department of the Treasury stated that the targeted organizations had initiated fundraising campaigns to support settlers accused of violence, and they had already been subject to previous sanctions.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets held by the individuals and organizations and generally prohibit Americans from engaging in transactions with them. These measures have caused discontent among right-wing members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, who advocate for the expansion of Jewish settlements and the annexation of the West Bank.
The relationship between the United States and Israel is further strained by the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the Biden administration has been urging Israel to exercise restraint in response to retaliatory strikes by Iran.
One of the individuals sanctioned by Washington is Ben-Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of the right-wing group Lehava, which opposes Jewish assimilation with non-Jews and advocates against Arabs in the name of religion and national security.
Gopstein has claimed that Lehava has 5,000 members. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, members of this group have been involved in “destabilizing violence affecting the West Bank.”
Lehava and its members, under Gopstein’s leadership, have been implicated in acts or threats of violence against Palestinians, particularly in sensitive or volatile areas. In response to this concerning situation, Miller issued a statement, cautioning that if Israel fails to take measures to prevent extremist attacks amidst the recent escalation of violence in the West Bank, additional actions will be taken.
The European Union has also announced its decision to impose sanctions on Lehava and other groups associated with violent settlers.
Israel’s embassy in Washington has not yet provided a comment in response to the request.
Gopstein, who is the primary target of U.S. sanctions, has close ties to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and shares familial connections with him.
Ben-Gvir resides in a West Bank settlement and, like Gopstein, was influenced by the late Meir Kahane, an ultranationalist rabbi. Kahane’s Kach movement was designated as a global terrorist organization by Washington.
Ben-Gvir strongly criticized the alleged harassment against Lehava and the settlers, emphasizing that they have never engaged in terrorism or harmed anyone.
He denounced the allegations made by Palestinian groups and anarchists as a “blood libel.” Ben-Gvir called upon Western countries to cease cooperation with these antisemites and put an end to the campaign of persecution against the pioneering Zionist settlers.
