Opinion: US sanctions should target all settlers and the Israeli state

US President Joe Biden has issued an executive order targeting Israeli settlers who have attacked Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with the White House imposing financial sanctions and visa bans against four individuals.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the overwhelming majority of West Bank settlers were “law-abiding citizens”, and that the Israeli government “takes action against law-breakers in every place, and therefore there is no place for exceptional steps on this measure”. 

As a Palestinian residing in the occupied West Bank and suffering on a daily basis from settler crimes, I strongly disagree. I consider Biden’s executive order to be a minor step in light of the terrifying scale of crimes committed by Israeli settlers.

Firstly, it must be emphasised that the US decision diverts attention to the settlers, while ignoring the settlements themselves. It thus gives the false impression that only a small number of settlers are terrorising Palestinians. 

In fact, the settlements are themselves illegal, and all settlers residing in them are violating international law. Biden’s executive order deliberately ignores the Israeli government, which is responsible for establishing the settlements and encouraging settlers to reside in them - even aiding their crimes and protecting them.

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