Israel: bank freezes account of settler organisation sanctioned by US 

Israeli bank Mizrahi-Tefahot has frozen the account of Hashomer Yosh, a non-governmental organisation that says it helps to protect settlers which was sanctioned yesterday by the US State Department. According to Haaretz, while individuals under sanctions can still access their accounts for essential purchases, organisations facing sanctions have their accounts blocked entirely.

In addition to the sanctions on Hashomer Yosh, the US also sanctioned Yitzhak Levi Filant, a civilian security coordinator at the Yitzhar settlement who led a group of armed settlers in February to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols aimed at forcing Palestinians from their land.

“Extremist settler violence in the West Bank causes intense human suffering, harms Israel’s security, and undermines the prospect for peace and stability in the region,” said the US Department of State. “It is critical that the Government of Israel hold accountable any individuals and entities responsible for violence against civilians in the West Bank.”

The sanctions freeze the US assets of those targeted, denying them access, and generally bans Americans from dealing with them.

The sanctions will be imposed under an executive order on West Bank violence that President Joe Biden signed in February. It has been used to impose sanctions on a Palestinian resistance group as well as Jewish settlers and those supporting them. Multiple Israeli media outlets have reported that Hashomer Yosh has received financial backing from the Israeli government.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, “Israel views with utmost severity the imposition of sanctions on citizens of Israel… [there will be] a pointed discussion with the US.”

Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which is supposed to be the core of an independent state of Palestine. The occupation state has built Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories that are illegal under international law because they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel disputes this and cites historical and alleged Biblical ties to the land.

The Biden administration affirmed in February that settlements are inconsistent with international law, signalling a return to long-standing US policy on the issue that had been reversed by the previous administration of Donald Trump. Israel’s far-right, ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir denounced earlier sanctions against settlers.

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