The U.S. Department of State is set to implement travel bans on any Israeli settlers who are implicated in attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The move was announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, as part of efforts to establish stability in the Palestinian territory where extremist settler violence is rampant, and has worsened as a consequence of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank,” Blinken said in a statement. He also reiterated President Joe Biden’s stance that settler attacks are unacceptable.
“Today, the State Department is implementing a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals believed to have been involved in undermining peace, security, or stability in the West Bank, including through committing acts of violence or taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services and basic necessities,” Blinken said.
Blinken called on both Israel’s leadership and the Palestinian Authority to share responsibility for upholding stability in the West Bank and curbing attacks on both sides. The statement did not outline the details of any individual visa bans or how many would be implemented, but bans were implemented as of Tuesday.
When asked about the visa ban on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
