Democrats urge Biden to sanction 2 Israeli ministers

WASHINGTON

About 90 Democrats called on US President Joe Biden to use his "lame-duck" period in the presidency to sanction two Israeli ministers, according to a letter made public on Thursday.

In a letter sent on Oct. 29, 88 lawmakers called on Biden to sanction Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who are "driving policies that promote settler violence, weaken the Palestinian Authority, facilitate de facto and de jure annexation, and destabilize the West Bank."

"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 lawmakers in the House and Senate wrote.

"The key individuals and entities that are destabilizing the West Bank – thereby also threatening the security of Israel and the broader region, and U.S. national security as well – should be directly held accountable. The message that such actions are unacceptable from leaders, including within the Israeli government, must be heard."

Stressing that Israel is the US’ "closest and most enduring" ally in the Middle East, the lawmakers said they remain committed to ensuring its long-term security, including by supporting a negotiated two-state solution.

"Settler violence in the West Bank, incentivized by external organizations and even by extremist officials in the Netanyahu government, threatens the long-term strategic security of Israel and the region," the letter read.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,700 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over 783 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

In a historic advisory opinion in July, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land is unlawful, and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.