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Israeli officials welcome Trump's decision to lift sanctions imposed by the Biden administration.
United States President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to lift sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Trump issued the order, amid a flurry of controversial moves, after returning to the White House on Monday. The sanctions were imposed by his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, through an executive order in February.
Biden's actions paved the way for the US State Department and Treasury Department to sanction several far-right individuals and groups accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. despite international law by freezing their US assets and banning US Authorities and individuals from doing business with them.
As much of the world's attention has focused on the war in Gaza, increasing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank and land grabbing in the occupied territory has caused concern among some of Israel's Western allies.
On Monday and Tuesday settlers set fire to vehicles and property under the protection of Israeli soldiers. At least 21 Palestinians were reported injured.
Since the start of Israel's war against Gaza in October 2023. at least 860 Palestinians, including 175 children, have been killed and more than 6,700 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
“The US is back as our friend”
Israeli officials welcomed Trump's “historic decision” to lift sanctions.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Northern West Bank Settlement Council, said the lifting of the “scandalous sanctions” was “a political message that the United States is back to being our friend,” according to Israeli media.
“This is correcting an injustice of many years in which distorted policies were pursued by the US administration and also by local elements who confused lovers with enemies,” said Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right former national security minister of X.
His ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said Trump's position showed his “deep connection to the Jewish people and our historic right to our land.”
“These sanctions were a serious act of blatant foreign interference in the internal affairs of the State of Israel and damaged the principles of democracy and the relationship between the two friendly countries,” he said.
The US sanctions against the settlers came after the Biden administration repeatedly called on the Israeli government to take action to hold the settlers accountable for actions Washington believed were thwarting hopes for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
After the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 Israel occupies the West Bank, which the Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. Israel has built settlements there that are illegal under international law.
Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land.
