The United States has implemented visa bans targeting individuals involved in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. This action adds to a series of measures by the Biden administration pressuring Israel to address West Bank violence. The ban potentially heightens tensions between the longstanding allies.
The United States has imposed visa bans on people it says are responsible for violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The move comes after several appeals for Israel to do more to prevent violence by Jewish settlers. The Israeli government has condemned the US visa bans, saying they are “unjustified and harmful.”
The US visa bans target individuals involved in “acts of violence or other activities that undermine peace, security, or stability in the West Bank,” according to a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken said that the US is “deeply concerned” about the recent increase in violence in the West Bank. The recent bans are part of an effort to “promote accountability” for those responsible. President Joe Biden and other senior U.S. officials have warned repeatedly that Israel must act to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Start Of A New Rivalry?
The Israeli government has criticized the US entry bans. Saying that they are “unjustified and harmful“. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that the visa bans “will not help advance peace” and that they “will only serve to harm relations between the US and Israel.”
The US visa bans are the latest in a series of measures that the Biden administration has taken to pressure Israel to do more to address the violence in the West Bank. In May, the Biden administration announced that it would no longer block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Israel. The administration also said that it would resume funding for humanitarian assistance programs in the Palestinian territories.
The US visa bans are likely to strain relations between the US and Israel further. The two countries have been close allies for decades. Still, their relationship has been strained in recent years over several issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US policy in the Middle East.
