CORRECTS - US sanctions illegal Israeli settlers, entities including Amana over West Bank violence

CORRECTS NUMBER OF ATTACKS FROM MONTH TO YEAR IN GRAF 12

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US announced new sanctions on Monday against illegal Israeli settlers and entities over extremist settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

The Treasury Department designated three individuals and three entities involved in settlement-related activities in the West Bank, according to a statement.

The sanctions target Israeli nationals Shabtai Koshlevsky, Itamar Yehuda Levi, and Zohar Sabah, as well as the Amana Settlement Movement, its construction arm Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd., and Eyal Hari Yehuda Company Ltd.

Amana is a "key part" of the extremist Israeli settlement movement, supporting outposts and settlements tied to US-sanctioned individuals and organizations, said the statement.

"The settlers and farms that Amana supports play a key role in developing settlements in the West Bank, from which in turn settlers commit violence. More broadly, Amana strategically uses farming outposts, which it supports through financing, loans, and building infrastructure, to expand settlements and seize land," the statement added.

Amana has also been sanctioned by the UK and Canada.

"The United States, along with our allies and partners, remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to facilitate these destabilizing activities, which threaten the stability of the West Bank, Israel, and the wider region," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in the statement.

In a statement, the State Department said that actions by the designated individuals and entities "collectively" undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank and the safety of both Israelis and Palestinians.

"We once again call on the Government of Israel to take action and hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in violence, forced displacement, and the dispossession of private land," said Spokesman Matt Miller in a statement.

"The United States will continue to promote accountability for those who further destabilize conditions in the West Bank and support extremist violence in the region," he added.

Earlier, Hareetz reported that far-right figures in Israel have been lobbying the incoming Trump administration to overturn sanctions imposed by the Biden administration on extreme right-wing settlers over the past year.

According to Palestinian sources, Israeli settlers conducted nearly 1,500 attacks over the past year against Palestinians, their land, and properties across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Data from Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement organization, indicates that over half a million settlers reside illegally in 147 settlements and 224 outposts in the West Bank.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 43,800 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

At least 783 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.