The Biden Administration is expected to impose new sanctions on two illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank that were used as a base for attacks by \u201cextremist\u201d Israeli settlers against Palestinians, Axios reported late on Wednesday, citing three U.S. officials.
\nThe sanctions, expected to be imposed as soon as Thursday, are intended to send a message that the U.S. is not only targeting individuals but also entities involved in providing logistical and financial support to attacks against Palestinians, Axios said citing one U.S. official.
\nNew sanctions will also be imposed on three Israeli settlers, the U.S. officials told Axios.
\nThe U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the Axios report.
\nThe Biden administration in February had imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank, signalling growing U.S. displeasure with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
\nThe administration also said in February that Israel\u2019s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank was inconsistent with international law, signalling a return to long-standing U.S. policy on the issue that had been reversed by the previous administration of Donald Trump.
\nSince the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. It has built Jewish settlements there that most countries deem illegal. Israel disputes this and cites historical and biblical ties to the land.
\nIsrael has stepped up raids in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October. United Nations\u2019 records show at least 358 people in the Palestinian territory have been killed since Oct. 7, a quarter of them children.
\nThe death toll in Gaza has already passed 31,000 since Oct. 7, when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people by Israeli tallies.
\n(Reuters)sanctions. illegal outposts, West Bank, sanctions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Biden Administration is expected to impose new sanctions on two illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank and on three Israeli settlers. These sanctions are in response to attacks by “extremist” Israeli settlers against Palestinians. The U.S. aims to target entities and individuals providing logistical and financial support to these attacks. Previously, in February, the administration imposed sanctions on four Israeli men for settler violence and criticized Israel’s settlement expansion as inconsistent with international law. Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank, where it has built settlements deemed illegal by most countries, a claim Israel disputes. Recent increases in raids in the West Bank have been noted since the Gaza war began in October, with significant casualties reported in both the West Bank and Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1521,1234,492,279,3,166,1312,145,298,1860,187,299,1671,69,493,462,1792,331,1358,841,1759,380,173,134,293,1859,18],"class_list":["post-4107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-1521","tag-attacks","tag-biden","tag-comment","tag-cyprus","tag-donald-trump","tag-expansion","tag-gaza","tag-hamas","tag-illegal-outposts","tag-international","tag-israel","tag-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-middle-east","tag-netanyahu","tag-palestinians","tag-prime-minister","tag-sanctions","tag-support","tag-trump","tag-united-nations","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-violence","tag-war","tag-west-bank","tag-world"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n