And the world change’s for President Joe Biden….
He HAS been under HUGE pressure to move to reign in some of Israel’s settler actions against Palestinians….
This IS the first baby step…..
There have been civilian Israeli settlers taking unlawfull actions against civilian Palestinians in the West Bank….
Israel has had to move to clamp down on these attacks by its own people, pitting its own solders against its own people….
President Biden on Thursday signed an executive order allowing the U.S. to impose new sanctions on Israeli settlers — and potentially Israeli politicians and government officials — involved in violent attacks against Palestinians.
Why it matters: The unprecedented executive order is the most significant step any U.S. administration has ever taken in response to violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
Zoom in: There have been nearly 500 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians since Oct. 7, according to the UN humanitarian office (OCHA).
- In those attacks, Israeli settlers have killed at least eight Palestinians, including a child, and injured more than 115 others, OCHA said on Wednesday.
- The Israeli government claims it has taken robust action over the last two months to tackle the problem and that it led to a decrease in the number of violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Driving the news: The Biden administration has raised its concerns about settler violence numerous times with different Israeli governments over the last three years.
- After the settler violence reached record levels following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Biden raised the issue publicly and privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Other senior U.S. officials have also brought up the issue with their Israeli counterparts in recent months.
Biden in November ordered the secretaries of state and treasury to prepare possible sanctions against Israeli individuals or entities involved in violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank….
image…Crisis Group