Executive Order: Biden cracks down on Israeli settler attacks, aims to preserve two-state solution

President Joe Biden issues an executive order targeting four Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians in the disputed region

In an initial wave of financial penalties and visa restrictions, President Joe Biden on Thursday issued an executive order targeting four Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians in the disputed region.

According to the decision, those settlers engaged in violent acts, threats, and attempts to damage or confiscate property belonging to Palestinians. The fines are intended to prevent the four from utilizing the American financial system and to prevent American nationals from doing business with them. According to U.S. authorities, they were considering whether to penalize other attackers who had escalated their attacks during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Rights organizations claim that settlers have set fire to cars and attacked numerous small Bedouin communities, causing people to flee. Palestinian authorities claim that some Palestinians have died.

“These 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.,” Biden said. “They also undermine the security of Israel and have the potential to lead to broader regional destabilization across the Middle East, threatening United States personnel and interests.”

 As the number of victims in the conflict rises, Biden is coming under increasing pressure for his administration’s staunch support of Israel.

According to Biden, his decision is an unusual move against America’s closest Mideast partner, who has the right to self-defense. However, the president of the Democratic Party has put pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise more moderation in its military actions intended to eradicate Hamas.

Source: AP