The Biden administration levied sanctions Thursday against a far-right Israeli organization and four illegal outposts in the West Bank, entities believed to disrupt stability in the region under Israeli control.
"The United States remains deeply concerned about extremist violence and instability in the West Bank, which undermines Israel's own security," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
The U.S. government, while also imposing sanctions on three Israeli individuals, called upon the Israeli government to address extremist actions that it believes hinder progress toward a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We strongly encourage the government of Israel to take immediate steps to hold these individuals and entities accountable. In the absence of such steps, we will continue to impose our own accountability measures," Miller said.
One target of Thursday's sanctions was Lehava, an Israeli nonprofit whose Hebrew name is an acronym for "preventing assimilation in the Holy Land." According to the U.S. State Department, Lehava has more than 10,000 registered members and has engaged in acts of violence against Palestinians, affecting the West Bank.
The State Department said the four sanctioned outposts had engaged in actions to displace Palestinians, such as limiting water access, disrupting grazing lands and launching attacks. One sanction was applied directly to a settlement owner.
Also sanctioned were two Israeli leaders of Tsav 9, a group that attacked convoys of aid heading toward Gaza.
The Biden administration's recent actions against Israeli settlers have upset members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition who support the occupation of the West Bank.
Since 1967, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as part of an independent state. Several Jewish settlements have been built there, and most countries consider them illegal.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.
