From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Trump’s pick for secretary of state says sanctions on violent settlers to be lifted
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, reveals the incoming administration will end the sanctions regime that the Biden administration rolled out last year against violent Israeli settlers.
The sanctions were unveiled amid mounting US frustration over Israel’s failure to crackdown on rampant settler violence targeting Palestinians throughout the West Bank. Seventeen individuals and 16 entities were designated in eight batches of sanctions imposed since February 2024. A handful of other Western countries have joined the US in implementing such sanctions, which have been the subject of criticism among the Israeli far-right.
Rubio is asked at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee whether the incoming administration will reverse the policy.
“Yes,” Rubio responds before adding, “Without speaking out of turn, I’m confident in saying that President Trump’s administration will continue to be perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history.”
Rubio doesn’t provide a timeline for the sanction reversal, which an Israeli official speaking to The Times of Israel last month speculated could be used as leverage by the Trump administration in its ties with Jerusalem.
Rubio is also asked whether the Trump administration will cease the policy of granting waivers that allow Palestinian Authority officials to hold political meetings in Washington. Rubio responds in the affirmative.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas also asks whether Rubio will commit “to ending discriminatory policies, including Biden administration secret boycott policies against Jews in Judea and Samaria [West Bank].” Cruz doesn’t elaborate as to what he’s referring to. US President Joe Biden’s former ambassador Tom Nides visited a West Bank settlement during his tenure. The administration did maintain a de facto boycott of far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, but did so in order to avoid legitimizing their extremist views and not because they are settlers.
Regardless, Rubio also responds to Cruz’s question in the affirmative.
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