JERUSALEM – President Biden on Thursday imposed sanctions on four Israeli settlers for violently targeting Palestinians in the disputed West Bank.
The White House’s unprecedented executive order to punish Israelis while the Jewish state is at war with the Palestinian Hamas terrorist movement in Gaza and the Palestinian terror group in the West Bank is an endorsement of the Middle East’s only democracy. aroused great anger among the people.
“While I have no tolerance for violence, Biden’s selection of four Israeli Jews for sanctions, especially at a time when Palestinian violence has become far more prevalent and deadly, is pure It’s just politics,” said David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and peacemaker. He spoke to Fox News Digital about relations between Arab countries and Israel.
“Meanwhile, Biden is allowing hundreds of people on the terrorist watch list to enter the United States illegally and refusing to impose sanctions on Iran. This order is a major blow to the president’s prestige. No one will be fooled by that.”
IDF announces Israeli military will destroy Hamas tunnel system built under cemetery
Biden’s criticism of Netanyahu’s government has angered the Israeli president, who is scheduled to address Congress. (Getty Images)
Friedman, who served under President Trump, further criticized Biden for naming Israeli Jews for sanctions amid widespread Palestinian violence in the West Bank, the envoy and other experts said. did.
“This order targets those who commit acts against peace and stability. Biden must also sanction all members of the Palestinian Authority who finance terrorists to kill Jews. But we know he won’t. He’ll roll out the red carpet for them.” ”
Friedman’s comment that Biden is playing “pure politics” appears to be a reference to Biden’s efforts to win over Arab American votes in Michigan. Biden’s punitive measures against the four Israelis will strengthen dwindling support among many local residents who oppose Israel’s war to root out Hamas terrorists, the largest Arab group on Thursday. It was held at the same time as a campaign visit to Michigan, which has an American community. Gaza Strip.
Biden’s presidential order said that the act “targets in particular the threats posed by the situation in the West Bank, including the high levels of violence by extremist settlers, the forced displacement of people and villages, and the destruction of property. Such acts pose a serious threat to peace.” It poses a serious threat.” It threatens the security and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East, and undermines U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives. ”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speak during a press conference regarding Israel and Bahrain establishing full diplomatic relations in the Oval Office of the White House on September 11, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The executive order also said, “We recognize that these actions represent an unusual and unusual threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and we have declared a national emergency to address that threat.”
The four Israelis targeted by sanctions are David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tansil, Shalom Zicharman, and Ynon Levi. The Biden administration’s punitive measures have also sparked outrage, as Israeli law enforcement authorities have taken legal action against Israelis or advanced claims cases against extremists.
A statement from Prime Minister X’s office regarding the executive order said: “The vast majority of the people of Judea and Samaria are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are currently serving in the draft or reservists in the defense of Israel.” It has been stated.
The report concluded that “Israel will take action against all Israelis who break the law, wherever they are. Therefore, no exceptional measures are necessary.”
In 2016, Israel sentenced Chasdai to six months in prison for planning an attack on a Palestinian village. Israel’s Supreme Court is hearing a case against Levy for destroying Palestinian olive trees and wells. Tansil was indicted in 2021 for assaulting an Israeli activist.
Shalom Zicharman faces charges starting in 2022 for attacking left-wing Israeli activists near the ancient city of Hebron.
People march to the Ebital outpost near the Tapua crossing in the West Bank on April 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Shalit)
Biden’s sanctions bar the four from doing business with Americans in the United States or traveling to the United States.
Israel to ban rebuilding of Israeli settlements in Gaza Strip following concerns from Biden administration
“Calling Israelis ‘settlers’ is an ahistorical slur,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Judea and Samaria are the legitimate homeland of the Jewish people. Biden’s targeting of these Israelis is a reckless policy, especially as it shows weakness and deference to Iran.”
Israelis living in Judea and Samaria prefer the term “resident” to “settler” because settler has connotations of invasion. From the Israeli government’s legal perspective, the areas of Judea and Samaria are disputed territory.
Most of the international community claims that the territory is occupied by the Israeli government. In 1967, Israel occupied Judea and Samaria in response to a war of self-defense waged by several Arab countries against the existence of a Jewish state.
Pompeo, like Friedman, served during the Trump administration and recently appeared in a documentary called Former Ambassadors. “Route 60: Biblical Highway.” The film features major Christian and Jewish Biblical sites along Route 60 in the Holy Land.
Palestinian terrorists take position during clashes with Israeli forces in Jenin, July 3, 2023. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
Judge allows lawsuit alleging Biden administration knew U.S. funds were supporting Palestinian terrorists
“I think the executive order undermines the cause of justice,” Israel Medad, a resident of Shiloh, Samaria, told Fox News Digital.
“There are many more Arab populations in the same territory who deserve more restrictions, including members of the Palestinian Authority’s governing body. Indeed, Mr. Biden should first push for the provisions of the Taylor Force Act. ”
Two Israeli brothers have been shot dead by Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank. (Nadav Goldstein/TPS)
Congress passed Taylor force method, It was named after Taylor Force, a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2016, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed Force to death. The law aims to halt financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until it abolishes financial subsidies for Palestinians convicted of terrorism and their families. This program has the infamous name “Pay to Slay”.
Witness to Terrorism: How Hamas radicalized Palestinians for genocidal attacks against Israel
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at a meeting of the Palestinian leadership at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah. (Palestinian Presidential Office/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
When asked about Biden’s motives for punishing Israelis living in the settlements, Medad, who has written extensively about the region, said, “He is targeting Israeli Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the West Bank Palestinian Authority. I’m doing this to appease them.” He has refused to see any part of the post-war deal in Gaza or to cooperate with an election campaign that has been openly threatened by pro-Palestinian activists. ”
He claimed that the violence in the region included “the murder of Jews by terrorists, official incitement to terror by the Palestinian Authority, etc.”
A Palestinian inspects a burnt-out car at a scrapyard in the town of Hawala, near the West Bank city of Nablus. (AP)
In a recent opinion piece for the Jerusalem Post, Medad said that on December 6 there was an “unprecedented level of violence by extremist Israeli settlers targeting Palestinians and their property,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. Dissented by Matthew Miller.
According to Medad, Israeli media reported in early November that compared to 2022, “incidents of violent acts against Jews in Judea and Samaria have decreased by almost 50% overall.” The West Bank is home to approximately 500,000 Israelis and an estimated 3 million Palestinians.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller (Screenshot/Department of State)
When asked about Ambassador Friedman’s criticism, the US State Department referred to a Fox News Digital press conference. Press Secretary Miller’s press conference Thursday.
“The President and the Secretary express their concern to Israeli and Palestinian officials about the level of violence in the West Bank, and that Israel will do more to stop violence against civilians and hold accountable those responsible. “We emphasized the need,” Miller said. Thursday’s State Department press conference.
“We continue to make our expectations clear to the Israeli government, and the United States likewise continues to take actions to advance the safety, security, and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Miller said.
