Netanyahu protested to White House about U.S. sanctions on Israeli settlers
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protested to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan Thursday about sanctions the Biden administration recently imposed on Israeli settlers who are involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, two Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: The settlers and Netanyahu's ultranationalist coalition partners are growing increasingly concerned about the U.S. sanctions and by the fact that many Western countries have followed suit.
- They have been pressing the prime minister to confront the Biden administration on this issue and demand that the sanctions stop.
Driving the news: Axios reported on Saturday that the White House National Security Council held a meeting last week to discuss increasing sanctions against Israeli settlers and entities involved in violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
- One of the possible steps that was discussed was imposing sanctions against two hard-line Israeli Cabinet ministers.
The big picture: The Biden administration is deeply frustrated that the Israeli government has pursued a policy of expanding settlements and weakening the Palestinian Authority, and that more extreme members of the government are openly allied with extremist settler groups.
- The sanctions against settlers and entities in the Israeli settlements are the main tool the Biden administration is using to try and change Israeli policy.
Behind the scenes: On the sidelines of his meetings with President Biden at the White House on Thursday, Netanyahu had a difficult conversation with Sullivan about the U.S. sanctions against settlers, the Israeli and U.S. officials said.
- An Israeli official said Netanyahu forcefully protested the sanctions, stressed they were counterproductive and expressed concern about the possibility of U.S. sanctions against ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
- Netanyahu also raised the issue with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Israeli official said.
- "The Vice President also expressed her concern about actions that undermine stability and security in the West Bank, such as extremist settler violence and settlement expansion," Harris spokesperson said.
- The Israeli official said Sullivan told Netanyahu the U.S. isn't planning to sanction Ben Gvir and Smotrich. A U.S. official denied it.
- Sullivan told Netanyahu he disagrees with him about the sanctions against settlers and stressed the Biden administration policy on this issue would continue, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
Go deeper: Bibi concerned Harris' comments may harm hostage and ceasefire deal, Israeli officials say
