US to impose travel bans on Jewish settlers involved in attacks in West Bank: report

KHIRBET ZANUTA, WEST BANK -- NOVEMBER 16, 2023: A Palestinian home sits abandoned after its inhabitants left due to repeated instances of Israeli settler violence and harassment, in the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta, West Bank, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

The Biden administration is preparing to impose travel bans on Israeli settlers accused of carrying out attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, the Associated Press reported.

The report cited a senior U.S. official who said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war Cabinet on Thursday that the administration desires to hold settlers accountable for these attacks, but would not act unilaterally. 

Visa bans against an as-yet undetermined number of settlers could be announced as early as next week, the official said. The official spoke to reporters accompanying Blinken on his latest trip to the Middle East as he flew from Tel Aviv to Dubai.

Blinken previously raised concerns over Israeli settler violence at a news conference on Thursday after his meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

“We’re looking to the Israeli government to take some additional steps to really put a stop to this. And at the same time, we’re considering our own steps,” he said.

Settlers affected by the travel ban would be excluded from the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of member countries visa-free entry into the United States for up to 90 days. Israel joined the program earlier this year.