Peloni: This will be the new stick which the US uses to target any Israeli opposing US peace policy. Notably, the US did not keep Abu Mazen out of the US in spite of his Pay for Slay policy, nor did it keep the Iranians out of the US despite their brutalizing, torture and murder of independently minded Iranian women, not to speak off their assaults on US and allied forces in the region. Yet, anyone in Israel who is assessed to be “undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank” will fall prey to this visa ban. They might as well as hung a sign stating, “Only Lefties Allowed”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces sanctions against Jews accused of attacking Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today (Tuesday) announced a visa ban on “extremist settlers” who are accused of attacking Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
“We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank,” Blinken said. “As President Biden has repeatedly said, those attacks are unacceptable.”
He continued, “Today, the State Department is implementing a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals believed to have been involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank, including through committing acts of violence or taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services and basic necessities.”
“Immediate family members of such persons also may be subject to these restrictions,” he noted.
“We also continue to engage with the Israeli leadership to make clear that Israel must take additional measures to protect Palestinian civilians from extremist attacks. We will also continue to engage the Palestinian Authority to make clear it must do more to curb Palestinian attacks against Israelis,” Blinken said, though no similar announcement of sanctions was made against people who attack Israelis.
“Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have the responsibility to uphold stability in the West Bank,” Blinken said. “Instability in the West Bank both harms the Israeli and Palestinian people and threatens Israel’s national security interests.”
US President Joe Biden published an op-ed in The Washington Post last month revealing his intentions to impose such sanctions. “The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank,” he wrote in the op-ed.
Biden stated: “I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. They’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be, and it has to stop. They have to be held accountable.”
“Israel should tell the US to take their visa program and go home. Like all associations with the US, it is only intended to leverage Israel against itself, something which has been the source for Israel’s failed policy in pursuing peace and security for decades now.”
Peloni, that’s what I said. but you say it much more diplomatically.
Israel does have a very great problem with violence, yet the acknowledgement andd recognition of that violence should not be qualified or restricted based on race, religion, geography or political perspectives, which is the standard of justice which the US seems to prefer in executing both in America and in Israel.
In fact, it remains a very strong point of irony that the US should itself be sanctioned for tolerating and promoting antisemitism throughout the US and particularly on US govt funded campuses, the elites of which have most recently testified that calling for genocide of the Jewish people is acceptable debate material which should not be dissuaded. Furthermore, the US govt is promoting a state of anarchy on its own streets where the only people being fettered from violent actions are those who act to defend themselves from the growing organized political crimes being conducted around the nation along with those who present any real political opposition to the lawlessness overlords who are now in power and are responsible for perpetuating and expanding the violence.
Nearly 600 people have died in Chicago this year and fifty died in the past month alone. Hence, when comparing the ongoing slaughter taking place in just Cook County to the deaths taking place in all of Israel, the only pattern which remotely raises any concern of similarity is the number of Jews who are being murdered by the clefted murdering Pals.
The selective use of US-Israeli relations to divide the Israeli people as it suits the well corrupted American gov is a political attack on Israeli society in general, meant to grow the power of the America First crowd in Israel and diminish the growing strength of the National camp, which has just experienced its greatest crowd sourcing surge with the Simchat Torah Massacre. If the advantages of the US-Israel relations can not be extended to all Israelis, regardless of politics, Israel should tell the US to take their visa program and go home. Like all associations with the US, it is only intended to leverage Israel against itself, something which has been the source for Israel’s failed policy in pursuing peace and security for decades now.
There are so few settlers involved in “settler violence” whatever that means, that the real purpose of announcing this policy is to smear settlers in general..
Don’t forget that Biden gave armoured vehicals to the PA and criticised Israel’s move to arm more settlers. The US is against the right of settlers to defend themselves. They criticisse settlers all the time but ignore “Palestinian” terrorism.
Settlers have the right to intimidate the Palestinians. Its part of the ongoing war.
Sebastien,
Thank God for Micronesia — among the few countries left with cojones!
BTW, I notice that the US is now in the “penalty box”, alongside Israel — with the Saudis making sure we don’t misbehave:
Saudi Arabia asks for US ‘restraint’ over Houthi ship attacks in Red Sea
The Iran-aligned Houthis have waded into the conflict that has spread around the Middle East since war erupted on Oct. 7.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-776866
Excellent suggestion tanna
Haaretz reports.
@Peloni
Thank God we have Micronesia on our side.
This sounds like a lynch mob. Judge, jury and executioner rolled up into a neat little visa refusal for “settlers” who have been accused by Palestinians of defending themselves. No evidence or sworn testimony required. I wonder how they will deal with “settlers” with a US passport…
@Sebastien
Yes, it is a well documented fact that UNWRA has acted as a charade for Hamas going back over a decade, and yet it is as if their documented complicity in the supporting, protecting, and involvement in Hamas’ terror apparatus is irrelevant. While this scandalous outrage should have been enough to eliminate the entire UNWRA institution long ago, its persistence is evidence of the complicity and organized support for Israel’s destruction by the US, the UN and most of the world’s nations.
Yet they don’t ban REAL terrorists or cut off their financial resources like Iran. The coming prophetic battle between Islam (Ishmael) and Esav (theologically Rome, Western Europe and the US) is underway and Esav is losing due in part to its stupidity and failure to recognize the enemy.
@Peloni Found this from 2014
https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-condemns-placement-rockets-second-time-one-its-schools
misleading headline. They denied they were rockets, said that maybe some armed group had concealed some kind of weapons, but – guffaw – they couldn’t confirm anything.
Does it bother you that a UNRWA teacher held someone hostage?
ketzel2
I would suggest that it is the entire infrastructure of the Western Liberal Order which incites against them, which certainly would include the media, in Israel, the US and Europe. The inhabitants of J&S represent a focus upon which they feel they can manipulate the divisions within Israel against itself, something which they need very badly to gain the political leverage (read as ‘control’) over the national camp, which has likely been greatly strengthened due to the Western funded Iranian proxy slaughtering many of those whose values were actually all too well aligned with the goals of the Wester Liberal Order. Of course, this new device to manipulate the Visa program against the National Camp is just the latest element which they will use, in combination with the rhetoric from their Leftist allies and their proxy media, to rekindle these divisions to reset some advantage within the Israeli electorate. I am however unconvinced that this dog will hunt this time around. Simchat Torah was an inflection point which changed many established paradigms, both within Israel and elsewhere, and I believe that while the Left are undeterred in their vision for the future, their support will not be so easily distracted from the slaughter of many of their friends and the international isolation being waged against them. But time will tell.
It’s not only the American government that incites against “settlers.” Liberal Israeli media such as channel i24 bashes “settlers” constantly and casually, it seems to be standard. (Otherwise pretty good English language war coverage.) Maybe the US government couldn’t do what it does if there weren’t a lot of agreement with them in Israel.
Right own Felix and Peloni. I have been thinking ever since I first heard of this that the Israeli state department should do a measure for measure.
The Israeli State department should prepare to take their own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists United states government employees and any elected office holder who have supported Hamas in attacking Israeli civilians. For the safety of those government officials who have not openly supported Israel and the sovereignty of Israel, said; US citizens /employees/ elected officials of the United States shall not be allowed to enter Israel, due to the Israeli government not being able to guarantee their safety.
Peloni…this is such a huge issue and I am very glad you have raised it. Horrible Jeremy Bowen has a series on Settlers on BBC and although I do not own a TV there was an extract on BBC Radio. It is absolutely lethal. It reminds me of the rabid journalists preying on the Serbs. Maggie O’Kane interviews with Muslims and accepting their lies and this resulted in the Serbs being taken to the Hague where many still rot in prison. An obvious warning to Jews.