US officially lifts sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Treasury Department on Friday officially removed sanctions on illegal Israeli settlers and groups, including the Amana Settlement Movement, accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amid a surge in settler attacks.

The decision follows a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump, reversing a Biden-era policy targeting individuals and entities deemed to undermine peace and stability in the region.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the terminaiton of the sanctions, which had been imposed under an executive order signed by President Joe Biden.

Trump’s decision to rescind the sanctions was made Monday, as part of his repeal of more than 70 executive orders shortly after returning to the Oval Office.

Executive Order 14115, which was signed by Biden on Feb. 1, 2024, Imposing Certain Sanctions on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank, had targeted illegal Israeli settlers involved in "high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction."