US will not publish names of banned West Bank extremists

The United States will not be publishing the names of the dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinians involved in West Bank attacks against whom it is imposing an entry ban, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller says.

Instead, those individuals and some of their family members who currently have visas to the US will be informed that they are no longer valid. Blacklisted individuals who do not currently have documentation to enter the country will only learn that they’ve been sanctioned when they apply for a visa or travel authorization and are denied, Miller says.

While Palestinians still need a visa to enter the US, Israel recently entered the visa waiver program, a streamlined process that requires only less onerous ESTA authorization to enter the country days before travel.

The decision not to publish the list of targeted individuals is meant to serve as a deterrent against those considering taking part in West Bank violence who won’t know whether they’ve been blacklisted or not, a US official told The Times of Israel earlier this week.