From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Report: White House mulling sanctions on far-right ministers Ben Gvir, Smotrich
The White House National Security Council discussed sanctioning far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, three US officials tell Axios.
According to a senior US official, US President Joe Biden declined a recommendation by senior White House officials to undertake the measure earlier in the year when he first signed an executive order allowing sanctions on Israeli settlers.
According to the report, the idea was raised again at the NSC this week, but US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew suggested “engaging with Smotrich” instead of boycotting him in order to change his behavior.
The inclusion of entities involved in settlement construction in current US sanctions was also considered, the report says.
Additionally, those present in the discussion were unanimous in supporting overturning the Trump administration’s policy of labeling products made in West Bank settlements as “made in Israel,” the officials tell Axios.
The White House declined to comment on the report.
Not wanting to legitimize many of his extremist views regarding the Palestinians, the Biden administration has imposed an effective boycott of Smotrich, refusing to meet with him or Ben Gvir.
The Biden administration has been particularly frustrated over Smotrich’s reported efforts to block enforcement against illegal settlement construction and his withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars in Palestinian tax revenues from the Palestinian Authority.
