The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday another round of sanctions against Israelis, including, for the first time, a woman: Reut Ben-Haim, the 38-year-old founder of the Tzav 9 protest movement and a mother of eight from Netivot.
Sanctions were also imposed on Yissachar Manne and Manne Farm in the South Hebron Hills and on Aviad Shlomo Sarid, a 27-year-old from the Revava settlement. However, it was revealed that Sarid has no connection to Tzav 9 and has not participated in its activities.
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Reut Ben Haim, founder of the Tzav 9 protest movement and a mother of eight
(Photo: Nir Shoko Cohen)
The intended target was Shlomo Sarid, the organization's volunteer coordinator, who is much older and resides in the Jordan Valley, not in Revava. After learning of the sanctions, Aviad Shlomo Sarid contacted David Ben Zion, deputy head of the Samaria Regional Council, seeking help to remove his name from the sanctions list. Both Shlomo Sarid and Aviad Shlomo Sarid served in the reserves and fought in Gaza after October 7.
Additionally, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the far-right organization Lehava, which has already been sanctioned by the European Union, and on several farms: Hamohoch Farm in Wadi al-Seeq, Meitarim Farm in South Hebron Hills, and Neriya's Farm in the Rimmonim settlement.
"Tzav 9 operated within the law, in a democratic protest of the entire nation, against aid that goes directly to Hamas," the movement said in response. "These sanctions are an anti-democratic intervention in a massive movement of Israeli citizens, including families of hostages and bereaved families who oppose providing supplies to the terrorists who slaughtered, beheaded and raped us on October 7."
Ben Haim herself said: "From the moment I founded Tzav 9, it was solely to bring our hostages home. We wanted to stop aid to Hamas and prevent harm to our soldiers. Our actions included all parts of the nation – hostage families, bereaved families, right-wing and left-wing alike – all participating in the most legitimate actions with zero violence. Now, we face sanctions, personally targeting me. This affects our democracy and our security. I urge our government to do everything to protect me legally and judicially so this can be stopped."
"These sanctions are against every Israeli who wants our hostages home," the group added. "The Israeli government must protect all its democratic citizens, both legally and security-wise. The Biden administration decided to award Yahya Sinwar, and we all must stand against this madness."
Ben Haim told Ynet: "This truly infuriates me. The U.S. is harshly targeting us, though we have done nothing against the law. This is a legitimate protest; our activities are important. People tell us, 'You restore our honor.' These sanctions harm the families of hostages, bereaved families and evacuees."
Lehava slammed the U.S. president, and the group's response included a direct attack on U.S. President Joe Biden. "The senile and antisemitic president of the United States does not scare us. Today, even in the United States, it is known that this is an unfit president, displaying a submissive approach in every possible area and not understanding what is being done around him. Nevertheless, Biden's steps will not intimidate us – we will continue to act fearlessly for the sake of rescuing Israeli daughters, despite the spirit of Biden and other haters of Israel."