Late Monday, suspected Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to property. This occurred just as President Donald Trump revoked sanctions against Israelis accused of violent acts in the region, reversing Biden’s earlier measures aimed at punishing radical settlers.This may indicate a further trend in increasing the US’s support for the expansion of Israeli settlements and allowing the violence to Palestinians.
Immediately after the announcement, settler leaders praised the decision as “a just decision” and described the sanctions as “interference from abroad.” Smotrich of the Finance Ministry praised Trump’s “unwavering and uncompromising support for the state of Israel.”Assault on the West Bank villages of Jinsafut and Al-Funduq, where masked men set cars ablaze and attacked homes, further raised tensions in the West Bank.
Palestinians, who already live under Israeli military rule, view the settlements as a significant barrier to peace.International law classifies these settlements as illegal. There is increasing impunity for settlers; rights groups believe that this situation has worsened under the policies of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. Meanwhile, despite sanctions imposed by Biden, settlers have continued to operate with little accountability, but Palestinians are now being tried in military courts.
The sanctions were initially meted out by Biden for violent acts and destruction of properties carried out by the settlers. However, with Trump reversing the decision, the likes of Reut Ben-Chaim, a founder of one of these sanctioned groups, hailed the administration for its pro-Israel stance. Then all of Trump’s greater foreign policy ambitions, like ending wars in the Middle East, would then balance its support for Israel with diplomatic work into actions, such as the involvement of Saudi Arabia in the Abraham Accords, depending on the state of Palestine.