Settlement umbrella group urges government to reexamine trade agreements with countries sanctioning settlers

The Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing settlement municipal authorities in the West Bank, has presented the government with a series of steps it believes should be taken to combat sanctions imposed on extremist individuals by the US and other Western countries, Ynet reports.

According to the report, the document submitted to the Foreign Ministry suggests that Israel should reexamine its trade agreements with any countries that impose sanctions on Israeli individuals or organizations.

The Yesha Council further proposes that for each batch of sanctions announced, Israel should recognize new West Bank settlements, and urges the government to allocate funds to assist authorities and organizations that have sanctions imposed on them.

Lastly, Ynet says the umbrella group is pushing for new mechanisms to be introduced that would allow banks to continue managing the accounts of sanctioned individuals.

Since February, the US, UK, the European Union, and others have imposed sanctions on extremist individuals and organizations accused of involvement in acts of violence in the West Bank.

In its most recent batch of sanctions last month, the US included the anti-miscegenation Lehava group, the co-founders of the already-designated Tzav 9 group — responsible for attacks on humanitarian aid convoys en route to Gaza in Israel and the West Bank, and four West Bank outposts owned or controlled by other already-designated extremists.