Nearly 90 lawmakers call on Biden to sanction Israeli ultranationalist ministers
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Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir (left) and Bezalel Smotrich. Photos: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images (left) and Saeed Qaq/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Nearly 90 lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden in late October calling on him to sanction two Israeli ultranationalist ministers for "incentivizing" violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.
Why it matters: The U.S. has sanctioned several Israeli organizations for supporting violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians but has stopped short of taking action against Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.
- Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have so far resisted recommendations by their advisers to impose sanctions on the ministers, U.S. officials said.
- The U.S. officials said Biden is extremely concerned about the ministers' actions and statements, but he opposes sanctioning democratically elected officials in ally countries.
- U.S. sanctions against Israeli ministers would be an unprecedented step in the relationship between the two countries.
Driving the news: The letter signed by 17 Democratic senators and 71 Democratic members of the House was initiated by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
- It was sent to Biden on Oct. 29 but made public on Thursday. Van Hollen said the letter was made public because the lawmakers haven't received a response from the White House yet.
- "We think the clock is ticking," he said in a briefing with reporters.
- "With radical officials in the Netanyahu government continuing to enable settler violence and enact annexationist policies, it is clear that further sanctions are urgently needed," the 88 lawmakers wrote in the letter.
- The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
Zoom in: The lawmakers said Ben Gvir and Smotrich are responsible for undermining security in the West Bank and are encouraging violent attacks against Palestinians through their actions and statements.
- They also called on Biden to impose sanctions on the Amana organization, which is engaged in settlement expansion and is involved in establishing illegal outposts in the West Bank.
- The lawmakers also called for sanctions on the Regavim NGO, which Smotrich founded several years ago. They claimed the organization was involved in actions that resulted in the forcible displacement of Palestinians from their land in the West Bank.
- "Settler violence in the West Bank, incentivized by external organizations and even by extremist officials in the Netanyahu government, threatens the longterm strategic security of Israel and the region," they wrote.
The big picture: In July the White House discussed the possibility of sanctioning Ben Gvir and Smotrich, Axios reported.
- The issue has come up in internal meetings several times since then but no decision has been made, U.S. officials say.
- U.S. officials say sanctions against Ben Gvir and Smotrich are part of several potential steps the Biden administration has been discussing for implementation during the transition period before President-elect Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
- But the Biden administration is concerned that if it takes the unprecedented step of sanctioning Israeli ministers, the decision will be reversed once Trump assumes office, U.S. officials say.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that more lawmakers have signed on to the letter.
