• Key targets of the now-lifted sanctions include an illegal settler accused of leading a deadly riot targeting Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank town of Huwara
• Trump's stance so far signals a return to the staunchly pro-Israel policies of his first term, potentially emboldening settler violence and further diminishing prospects for Palestinian statehood

WASHINGTON

The Trump administration last week officially removed sanctions on more than 30 illegal Israeli settlers and groups in the occupied West Bank, reversing a Biden-era policy in an executive order by the new president.

The move came after a ceasefire and hostage/prisoner swap deal in Gaza, as well as reports that Trump pressured the Israeli government to end 15 months of genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

It also followed a surge in attacks by illegal Israel settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank, raising fears of further escalation.

What were the sanctions?

The Biden administration had imposed sanctions under Executive Order 14115, signed Feb. 1, 2024.

The measure, targeting individuals and entities involved in "extremist settler violence, forced displacement, and property destruction" in the West Bank, blocked their access to assets in the US and the country's financial system.

Key targets included Amana, an organization linked to settler violence, and individuals like David Chai Chasdai, a 29-year-old Israeli settler with a history of violence against Palestinians.

Chasdai was accused of initiating and leading a deadly riot in the West Bank town of Huwara, where he and fellow illegal settlers set vehicles and buildings on fire, causing property damage, and assaulted Palestinian civilians.

Despite calls for broader sanctions, the Biden administration stopped short of sanctioning the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which allegedly abused Palestinian civilians and caused the 2022 death of Palestinian-American Omar Assad.

Why were they imposed?

The sanctions were partly in response to mounting violence across the West Bank as Israel waged an onslaught in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since a cross-border attack by the Hamas resistance group on Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of nearly 1,200 Israelis and the taking of 250 hostages, according to Israel.

The violence in the West Bank has also intensified, with more than 880 Palestinians killed and 6,700 injured by Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Settlement watchdog group Peace Now indicates that over half a million illegal Israeli settlers reside across 147 West Bank settlements and 224 outposts. The International Court of Justice, in July 2024, declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements.

Amid rising tensions, the Biden administration, which had resisted calls from public figures and members of Congress to halt arms shipments to Israel despite reports of widespread violations of international and US law, imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers to curb violence in the West Bank.

How did Israelis and Palestinians react to their removal?

The Israeli government, dominated by pro-settlement hardliners like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, welcomed Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Israeli settlers, calling it a "just" course correction from the Biden administration's policy.

The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, condemned the move.

"This decision encourages settlers to commit more crimes,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, said in a statement.

What does this signal for Trump’s Israel-Palestine policy?

During his first term, Trump reshaped US policy to align with many of Tel Aviv’s long-held positions.

He moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and reversed a long-standing US policy on illegal settlements, rejecting a 1978 State Department legal opinion that deemed the settlements “inconsistent with international law.”

In February 2024, the Biden administration reversed course, reaffirming that Israel's Jewish-only settlements in the occupied West Bank violate international law.

Trump did not indicate whether he would double down on the change, but made controversial remarks about Gaza, proposing a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring Egypt and Jordan — a plan both nations strongly rejected.

By lifting sanctions, Trump signals a return to the staunchly pro-Israel policies of his first term, potentially emboldening settler violence and further diminishing prospects for Palestinian statehood.