The United States announced Thursday that it is imposing sanctions on several “extremist settlers” accused of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where violence has escalated during the Gaza war, US officials said, AFP reported, citing News.ro.

The sanctions were imposed by US President Joe Biden’s executive order on Thursday, which seeks to impose sanctions on individuals accused of attacks or “acts of terrorism” or those who “undermine peace, stability and security” in the Palestinian territory, they said.

The United States, Israel’s first ally, has consistently condemned Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and called on the Israeli authorities to act to stop this violence and bring those responsible to justice.

The new U.S. sanctions target — in the first phase — four individuals who are barred from the United States and whose possible assets in America have been frozen, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In early December, the US announced restrictions on issuing visas to extremist Israeli settlers – but these are the first financial sanctions.

Within Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government are staunch defenders of settlers, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the (far-right) Jewish Power Party.

The West Bank — a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 — has been rocked by a resurgence of violence since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement in southern Israel on October 7. .