US sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who commit violence against Palestinians

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

US sanctions fundraisers for extremist West Bank settlers who commit violence against Palestinians

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN
Updated 9:34 AM EDT, April 19, 2024

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday imposed sanctions on two entities accused of fundraising for extremist Israeli-occupied West Bank settlers who have harassed and attacked Palestinians, as well as the founder of an organization whose members regularly assault Palestinians.

The Treasury Department announcement comes as the West Bank has seen some of its worst violence perpetrated by extremist settlers against Palestinians since the war in nearby Gaza began.

There is also friction between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose far-right government has reacted angrily to previous sanctions imposed against West Bank settlers.

Included in the Friday sanctions are two entities — Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich — accused of raising funds for sanctioned settlers Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-west-bank-war-settlers-sanctions-3d1a6595f7c4cecaa42de7901c81c752

[lapucelle]

1. Good. N/T

[Israeli]

2. The Biden administration

is making all the right moves , they know exactly how to upset the religious Right wing extremists that are in this shameful government of ours .
Their latest move has Bibi blowing smoke out of his ears

Ref : ......

The ultra-Orthodox Israeli Army Battalion the U.S. Is Set to Sanction

The Netzah Yehuda Battalion has a long history of bad behavior, driven by an ideology imbibed from the settler movement

Source : Haaretz

Link no paywall :
https://archive.md/GsHlK

[Israeli]

3. More ....

IDF says unaware of US plans to sanction unit, insists it follows international law

Gantz, Eisenkot, Lapid join Netanyahu-led criticism of unprecedented planned step against Netzah Yehuda Battalion, linked to abuse in West Bank, though Lapid also blames coalition

The Israeli military said Sunday that it was unaware of plans by the United States to sanction its Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a unit previously involved in a series of controversial and violent incidents in the West Bank.

“If a decision is made on the matter, it will be reviewed,” the IDF said, in its first remarks on the issue.

The IDF’s statement came a day after the Axios website reported that, in an unprecedented step, the Biden administration was to announce sanctions against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion for alleged human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The battalion, which is part of the Kfir Brigade and largely made up of ultra-Orthodox troops, is currently deployed to the Gaza Strip front, following months in the north.

Previously, it was stationed permanently in the West Bank, where it was at the center of several controversies connected to right-wing extremism and violence against Palestinians, notably including the 2022 death of Omar As’ad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American who had been detained, handcuffed, blindfolded, and later abandoned in near-freezing conditions by soldiers of the battalion.

(snip)

Netzah Yehuda was created so that ultra-Orthodox and other religious soldiers could serve without feeling they were compromising their beliefs. The soldiers do not interact with female troops to the same extent as other servicemen and are given additional time for prayer and religious study.

Members of the unit have been involved in multiple controversial and violent incidents and have also been convicted in the past of torturing and abusing Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

In a video statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to protect the IDF and its soldiers from sanctions and any other such moves. “If somebody thinks they can impose sanctions on any IDF unit, I’ll fight that with all my might, he said.

(snip)

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the US has issued three rounds of sanctions against settler individuals for violence against Palestinians, prompting harsh pushback from Finance Minister Smotrich, who has pledged to “fight with all our might” and not “let up” until all Western sanctions are lifted.

The latest round was issued on Friday and included the leader of the far-right group Lehava, Benzi Gopstein, who is a close ally of Ben Gvir.

Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-unaware-of-us-plans-to-sanction-unit-insists-it-follows-international-law/

[Israeli]

4. Its working ......

Ref the above :

The latest round was issued on Friday and included the leader of the far-right group Lehava, Benzi Gopstein, who is a close ally of Ben Gvir.

Far-right Advisor to Ben-Gvir Sanctioned by U.S. Tries to Get Gas, Finds Credit Card Blocked

Bentzi Gopstein was placed on the Biden administration's list of extremists subject to sanctions, along with the far-right group he leads, over the weekend. The card company must adhere to the law as it relates to him and act accordingly, says issuer CAL

Bentzi Gopstein, the right-wing extremist who over the weekend was added to the list of Israelis subject to U.S. economic sanctions, discovered the practical effect of the measure when he went to fill up on gas for his car on Sunday and was informed by the electronic card reader, "Due to your inclusion on the U.S. Treasury sanctions list, we have been forced to block your [credit] card."

Gopstein and the extremist group that he heads, Lehava, were among those named in the third round of American sanctions against right-wing extremists involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. A month earlier, seven settlers were subject to sanctions. The Israel Defense Forces Netzah Yehuda battalion may reportedly be added to the list as well.
Responding to a query by TheMarker, CAL, the company that issues Gopstein's card, said, "As part of its activities, which also includes activities overseas and with international organizations, the company is subject to the provisions of the law that apply to it, and acts accordingly."

Israeli banks and credit card issuers must abide by the U.S. sanctions. That means imposing limits on service they can provide for those on the list, among them money transfers and restrictions on purchase. When the U.S. government imposes sanctions on individuals and organizations, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions, issues a list of those sanctioned to all banks.
If a company fails to adhere to the sanctions, they risk running afoul of the U.S. legal system, including criminal investigations and being cut off from the global financial system.

Source : Haaretz

More at link : https://archive.md/W0CCi#selection-909.0-1079.182