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4 months ago
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All participants in the White House National Security Council meeting supported rescinding the Trump administration’s decision to label products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank as “Made in Israel.”
The White House National Security Council's "Deputy Committee" meeting on Wednesday, attended by representatives of all US government foreign policy, national security and intelligence agencies, was a sign of the US government's frustration and anger with Israel and the Israeli government's policy of expanding settlements and weakening the Palestinian Authority.
It is worth noting that in 2020, the US Customs and Border Protection issued a memorandum defining goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as “Made in Israel.”
The Palestinian Authority condemned this decision, considering it a challenge to international resolutions.
The American website "Axios" revealed on Friday, quoting three American officials, that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on the two hardline ministers in the Israeli government, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, due to violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank.
The sources said that the White House National Security Council held a discussion last Wednesday on measures against settlements and the security situation in the occupied West Bank.
The White House meeting was held after a new surge in violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians and the Israeli government's decision to plan and build 5,000 more housing units in settlements and legalize five outposts.
This is expected to be one of the main topics that US President Joe Biden is expected to discuss in his scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week, according to two senior US officials.
Earlier this year, Biden signed an unprecedented executive order allowing sanctions on Israeli settlers, with two rounds of sanctions issued so far.
When Biden signed the order, senior White House officials recommended that the two extremist ministers be punished in turn.
Since then, sanctions have been imposed on a number of their supporters and associates, but not on Smotrich or Ben-Gvir.
Another option under discussion, US officials said, is to expand sanctions on settler groups to include non-governmental organizations and entities involved in building settlements and outposts.
The officials stressed that the meeting was to discuss options and what decisions, including on potential sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, Biden would have to make.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice confirmed in a non-binding advisory opinion that Israel has illegally annexed large parts of Palestinian territory through settlements .
Although the opinion is not binding, it is one of the most important decisions of the International Court since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967.
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