Israeli right praises Trump’s reversal of sanctions on violent settlers
Politicians and settler leaders claim Biden-era measures were unjust and undermined Israel’s sovereignty, portray previous administration as targeting right-wing activists
Right-wing Israeli politicians expressed pleasure on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to cancel US sanctions against violent Israeli settlers on his first day in office on Monday.
The order canceled a system set up by former US president Joe Biden a year ago with his administration frustrated by Israel’s failure to rein in rampant settler violence against Palestinians.
On Tuesday morning, politicians and settler leaders took to social media to thank Trump for reversing the move, which they said was unjustified and undermined Israel’s democracy and sovereignty. None of them made any mention of violence, however, portraying the sanctions instead as targeting settlers and right-wing activists in general.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich thanked Trump for the “just decision” in a post on X.
“These sanctions were a severe and blatant foreign intervention in Israel’s internal affairs and an unjustified violation of democratic principles and the mutual respect that should guide relations between friendly nations,” Smotrich wrote.
He added that Trump’s “unwavering and uncompromising support for the State of Israel is a testament to your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historical right to our land,” adding he was confident that Trump’s presidency would enable Israel and the US to continue to strengthen their “deep friendship.”
“The State of Israel looks forward to continued fruitful cooperation to further enhance our national security, expand settlement across all parts of our homeland, and strengthen Israel’s standing in the world,” Smotrich concluded.
Far-right Otzma Yehudit party leader and until recently national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir also praised the move in an X post, saying that Trump had “righted a yearslong wrong of warped policy by the American administration and local groups who confuse friends and enemies.”
“Now we can only hope for a policy change regarding the Hamas terrorist organization too in a way that will not give it oxygen or deals that help it continue its activity,” he wrote, referring to the current Gaza ceasefire, in opposition of which he pulled his party out of the coalition.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch, of the ruling Likud party, also welcomed the new order, writing on X that it was “an important step that strengthens settlement in the Land of Israel and sends a clear message: Our right to this land and Judea and Samaria is not subject to appeal.” Judea and Samaria is the biblical name for the West Bank.
Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) called the move a “great decision,” claiming in an X post that the sanctions had been placed on “Israeli citizens who opposed the previous administration’s policies.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also took to X to thank Trump for “removing the misguided and unfair sanctions on some Israelis living in Judea and Samaria.”
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council who attended Trump’s inauguration on Monday, wrote on Facebook that Trump’s order was “not only an important moral message but also a diplomatic message that the US is back to being Israel’s friend.”
“Trump’s decision shows how much he loves Israel and how committed his pro-Israel base is to Israel. It shows more than anything that the Israeli government and the prime minister have a historic opportunity, both in Judea and Samaria and in the State of Israel, to do great historical things whether the Trump administration agrees or not because it would be a disagreement among friends,” he wrote.
The head of the Beit El Local Council, Shai Alon, echoed the sentiment, saying in a statement that “the winds of change are blowing, and the golden age of the settlements is here.”
“The president proved, already in his first moments in the position, that settlements in Judea and Samaria are no different than anywhere else and strengthen Israel’s sovereignty and security,” he said.
He also called on the government to take the opportunity to strengthen Israeli settlements, saying that Trump’s order had “killed the warped [idea of] ‘two states for two peoples.'”
Through the executive order signed by Biden, 17 individuals and 16 entities were designated in eight separate batches over the past year.
They included settlers whom the US said were involved in violent attacks against Palestinians and the dispossession of Palestinian land along with entire illegal outposts whose residents took part in such actions. They escalated to target close associates of Ben Gvir, and the Biden administration even weighed sanctioning the national security minister himself along with Smotrich, before ultimately deciding against it.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
