US to deny visas to dozens of Jewish settlers accused of attacking Palestinians

Several dozen Jewish Israeli settlers, residents of Judea and Samaria, will be banned from travel to the United States because of violent acts against Palestinians, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Tuesday.

“Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions,” Blinken said in a press briefing.

The same restrictions will also be applied to dozens of Palestinians who are believed to have been involved in violence against Israelis.

The U.S. “consistently opposed actions that undermine stability in the West Bank, including attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, and Palestinian attacks against Israelis,” Blinken added.

The move comes after several calls by the U.S. government for Israel to rein in the violence in Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, which has been on the rise since the Hamas surprise invasion and massacre on Oct. 7.

Two weeks ago, U.S. President Joe Biden asked several Cabinet secretaries to prepare sanctions “against individuals or entities who directly or indirectly engaged in actions that threaten security or stability in the West Bank or take actions that intimidate civilians in the West Bank or actions that significantly obstruct, disrupt or prevent efforts to achieve a two-state solution,” according to a report by Axios.

According to the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank, violent incidents by Jews – including threats, property destruction but also the use of live fire – rose over 700% in November, to a total of 149 incidents.

A document containing details about the incidents and the steps the government has taken against them was given to U.S. officials by Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog last week, Axios reported.

According to the document, the number of incidents decreased in recent weeks but is still above the level before Oct. 7.

The move comes amid mounting pressure on the Israeli war cabinet by the Biden administration to wind down the war in the Gaza Strip, which the U.S. has publicly supported.

Israeli war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, commented on the American sanctions against settlers during a press briefing on Tuesday evening.

“We don’t need outside help to fight this,” Gantz stressed.

“I’m asking the Americans not to resort to the concept of ‘settler violence.’ This doesn’t represent the settlement in Judea and Samaria. This expression that attributes the violence to one group from Judea and Samaria is not true. I sign the orders, there are quite a few extremists who come from outside the area.”