Washington is considering imposing broader sanctions on Israel due to settler terrorism in the West Bank

Ramallah - Ofek News - The Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" revealed that the United States is considering imposing a series of sanctions and measures against Israel, against the backdrop of escalating acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, with their implementation being further discussed after the Israeli elections.

Among the sanctions that the US administration is considering is prohibiting certain military units from using US-made weapons in certain areas.

According to the report, American officials warned in closed talks that the continued escalation in the West Bank could lead to widespread repercussions that threaten the future of the settlement project, in addition to measures targeting Israeli military and security authorities.

The options being discussed, according to the newspaper, include taking measures against specific units in the Israeli army, imposing restrictions related to the use of American weapons, in addition to the possibility of placing army and police officers on a blacklist, against the backdrop of what Washington describes as allowing violent attacks against Palestinians.

These warnings come in light of the escalation of violence in the West Bank and the expansion of settlement areas and outposts, coinciding with the approaching olive harvest season, amid fears of renewed attacks on Palestinian farmers.

Haaretz notes that the nature of the potential US measures reflects the transition of the discussion from sanctions targeting individuals involved in violent acts to options that could affect institutions, military units, and policies related to settlement.

The newspaper reported that a “severe American warning” recently arrived at the Israeli security apparatus, following the expansion of anger over settler terrorism to a greater extent than the statements of the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in which he criticized settler terrorism.

The newspaper added that officials in the Trump administration monitor any report issued about settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, and that American officials realize that these settlers are not “noxious weeds” as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, describes them.

Officials in the Trump administration also confirm the involvement of Israeli security forces - the army, police, Shin Bet, and the Civil Administration - in settler terrorism by "turning a blind eye and sometimes actively participating in ethnic cleansing efforts, violent attacks, and controlling privately owned Palestinian lands," according to the newspaper.

The newspaper reported that in Washington they are aware that settler terrorism and the support of Israeli security forces to them, with the support of Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has escalated “in an attempt to impose facts on the eve of the elections, and that the Americans are protecting their Israeli counterparts from “consequences that will pose a threat to the entire settlement project.”