J Street welcomes and supports a Congressional letter from 88 Members of the Senate and House calling on President Biden to sanction ultranationalist, pro-annexation Israeli government ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir for inciting settler violence and fomenting chaos in the West Bank. The letter also calls for sanctions on organizations, including Amana and Regavim, that promote settler violence and the dispossession of Palestinian communities.
The landmark letter, made public today, was led by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Representative Sean Casten (D-IL), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). It urges President Biden to apply these sanctions under a February 2024 Executive Order that was specifically designed to deter further incitement and violence in the West Bank by holding individuals and organizations to account.
“A supermajority of Jewish Americans back US sanctions against Israeli extremists who threaten Israel’s future and instigate violence. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are outlaws in ministers’ robes who use their power to incite violence and steal land. They’re trampling the rights and freedoms of Palestinians living under occupation – a clear violation of international law – and they are championing the destruction of Israel’s democracy,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said.
“This letter sends a clear signal to President Biden that Members of Congress have had enough. With Trump about to enter the White House, the President is running out of time to act. Immediately imposing these sanctions will have a lasting impact by setting a standard, sending a message and encouraging our allies to follow suit,” Ben-Ami said.
The two ultranationalist ministers have been at the helm of intensifying violence and instability in the West Bank in the shadow of the Gaza war – demolishing family homes, cheering violent attacks and shielding perpetrators from accountability. They are at the forefront of the push to annex the West Bank to Israel – an effort likely to receive a tremendous boost under the incoming Trump Administration.
Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed more than 600 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, including more than 140 children, according to UN figures. Over 6,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes by demolitions, settler violence and access restrictions.
Ben-Gvir, who leads the ultranationalist Jewish Power Party, has been described by both Israel’s former Defense Minister and the current leader of the Shin Bet security service as a threat to Israel’s security. Shin Bet leader Ronen Bar said Ben-Gvir was doing “indescribable damage” to Israel’s reputation and West Bank security.
Smotrich – who’s also responsible for several West Bank authorities – just this week drew criticism for saying that once Trump enters office, “the time has come” to annex Palestinian land. Earlier this year, he was caught on tape telling far-right activists that he was using his position to “establish facts on the ground” to make the West Bank “an integral part of the State of Israel.”
The letter also calls on President Biden to apply sanctions to organizations such as Regavim – co-founded by Smotrich – and Amana for underwriting illegal settlement construction and supporting brutal attacks on Palestinian people and property.
“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 Members write. “Those in leadership responsible for the lawlessness must be held to account.”
A J Street election poll of Jewish voters – the largest undertaken this year – last week found that a full two-thirds of those surveyed supported imposing US sanctions against Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir. Among the Congressional letter’s signers are five prominent Jewish leaders, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Jerry Nadler, Jamie Raskin, Jan Schakowsky and Sara Jacobs.
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