Democrats call for Biden to sanction ‘radical’ Israeli government ministers

Laura Kelly
·3-min read

Democrats in the House and Senate are calling on President Biden to sanction two controversial Israeli ministers, saying the two men have promoted violence against Palestinians and are pushing for annexation of territory that undermines U.S. efforts to support a two-state solution.

In a letter sent late last month but released publicly on Thursday, 88 lawmakers called on Biden to issue sanctions against Israeis Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, far-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.

“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 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.”

The sanctions would fall under an executive order Biden issued in February to address increasing violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank against Palestinians and has been used to target individuals and groups.

The Biden administration has reportedly considered using the sanctions authority against the two Israeli ministers, but has held back a move considered unprecedented in punishing a major U.S. ally.

The letter, initially sent to Biden privately, signals the frustration among Democrats over the president’s holding back consequences on Israel over the suffering of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s war against Hamas now in its second year following the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

The incoming Trump administration would likely revoke the sanctions and cancel Biden’s executive order.

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), one of the lead signatories on the letter, said lawmakers went public because the White House did not yet provide a response and raised the urgency of a limited window of opportunity before the transition to a Trump administration.

“We’re well aware of the political environment we find ourselves in and the incoming Trump administration, but this is something that the president can do right now to send a signal that what’s happening on the West Bank with settler violence and the expansion of settlements is against our national security interests,” Van Hollen said.

“It’s against the interests of long-term peace in the region, because it makes it harder and harder every day to even leave open the option of a two-state solution that allows, as we’ve all said, for the security of and dignity and self-determination for Israelis and, and Palestinians alike.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

But such an action is not isolated. Other countries have raised the possibility of sanctions on these ministers. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last month his government was looking into sanctioning the two Israeli ministers reportedly following comments by Ben-Gvir defending settlers perpetrating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank; Smotrich also suggested that starving civilians in Gaza might be justified.

Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy, said that the U.S. taking action – even short lived – is an important signal to other countries in giving them the green light to also take punitive measures against the Israeli government.

“Even if the next administration were to roll back those sanctions it would be a green light for countries in Europe to take that long overdue step,” he said.

“Colleagues in Europe have raised this repeatedly. In general, they constantly look to the U.S. for signals – green or yellow lights – on how to move when the US administration is not ready or doesn’t have the courage to do.”

Updated at 2:29 p.m.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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