By Matthew Lee, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a uncommon punitive transfer in opposition to Israel, the State Department mentioned Tuesday it is going to impose journey bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of current assaults on Palestinians within the occupied West Bank.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken introduced the step after warning Israel final week that President Joe Biden’s administration could be taking motion over the assaults. Blinken didn’t announce particular person visa bans, however division spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned the bans could be applied beginning Tuesday and would cowl “dozens” of settlers and their households, with extra to come back. He wouldn’t give a quantity and refused to determine any of these focused because of confidentiality causes.
The determination comes at a delicate second in U.S.-Israeli relations. The Biden administration has firmly backed Israel because it was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, at the same time as worldwide criticism of Israel has mounted.
Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., Canada and the European Union.
But in current weeks, the administration has stepped up calls on Israel to do extra to restrict civilian casualties because the Israelis increase their offensive and goal densely populated southern Gaza. The U.S. has avoided outright criticism of that offensive. It has been more and more outspoken, nevertheless, about settler violence within the West Bank and Israel’s failure to reply to U.S. calls to cease it.
“We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank,” Blinken mentioned in an announcement. “As President Biden has repeatedly said, those attacks are unacceptable.”
“Today, the State Department is implementing a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals believed to have been involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank, including through committing acts of violence or taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services and basic necessities,” Blinken mentioned.
He mentioned the U.S. would proceed to hunt accountability for settler violence in opposition to Palestinians in addition to Palestinian assaults in opposition to Israelis within the West Bank and Israel, significantly as tensions are extraordinarily excessive because of the battle in Gaza.
“Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have the responsibility to uphold stability in the West Bank,” Blinken mentioned. “Instability in the West Bank both harms the Israeli and Palestinian people and threatens Israel’s national security interests.”
Tuesday’s transfer comes only a month after Israel was granted entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which permits its residents visa-free entry into the U.S. Those focused by the motion won’t be eligible for this system, and people who maintain present U.S. visas can have them revoked.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”