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Netanyahu condemns Biden's sanctions on Israeli settlers: ‘Law abiding citizens’
On Thursday, Biden imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank.
Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday condemned the sanctions imposed by US President Joe Biden on Israeli settlers accused of being involved in violence in the West Bank amid the Israel-Hamas war, saying that such “exceptional measures are unnecessary” since Israel ensures to take action against such incidents.
“The overwhelming majority of residents in Judea and Samaria are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are currently fighting - as conscripts and reservists - to defend Israel…Israel acts against all Israelis who break the law, everywhere; therefore, exceptional measures are unnecessary,” Netanyahu said.
On Thursday, Biden imposed sanctions on four Israeli men it accused of being involved in settler violence in the West Bank. He also termed the Israelis as “extremist settlers” - those who commit acts of violence against Palestinians.
“I find that the situation in the West Bank - in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction - has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region,” Biden said.
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began on October 7 following Hamas' attack that killed 1,200 Israelis. According to the Gaza health ministry, over 27,000 people have been killed in the region so far.
He added that such actions “undermine the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis and Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity, and freedom, and also undermine the security of Israel.”
According to Biden, the violent acts have “potential to lead to broader regional destabilisation across the Middle East, threatening United States personnel and interest”.
“For these reasons, the actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” he added.
Meanwhile, Canada is also looking at imposing sanctions on the settlers in the West Bank. “We are looking into how to make sure that those responsible for extremist violence or extreme settler violence in the West Bank are held to account for it,” Trudeau told the media on Friday.
(With inputs from agencies)
