While U.S. President Joe Biden shows no intention of ending his support for Israel’s war on Gaza, his administration has ramped up its opposition to Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, which has reached new extremes in recent months. In February, the United States began sanctioning several individual settlers known to have attacked Palestinians and Israeli activists in the West Bank. Other countries soon followed suit, and sanctions have since been leveled at illegal outposts and some settler organizations.
On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the United States announced a new round of sanctions — this time targeting Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli NGO with close ties to state ministries. The group, whose name means “The Guardian of Judea and Samaria” (referencing the Biblical term for the West Bank), supports settler farmers throughout the occupied territory, and sends hundreds of teenage volunteers each year — some of whom are settlers themselves — to work in and defend illegal outposts. ….more
