Washington will impose sanctions on an Israeli group on Friday for attacking humanitarian aid convoys bound for starving civilians in Gaza, U.S. officials told Reuters, in the latest move targeting actors Washington believes threaten the prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The sanctions will target Tsav 9, a group with ties to Israeli army reservists and Jewish settlers in the West Bank, over activities including blocking, harassing and damaging aid shipments.
The financial sanctions will be imposed under an executive order on West Bank violence Biden signed in February, which was previously used to impose financial restrictions on Jewish settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians as well as a Palestinian terror group.
"We're using the authority to sanction an ever-broadening selection of actors, targeting individuals and entities that threaten the peace, security and stability of the West Bank regardless of religion, ethnicity or location," Aaron Forsberg, director of the State Department's office of sanctions policy and implementation, told Reuters.
On May 13, members of Tsav 9 looted and then set fire to two aid trucks near the West Bank city of Hebron.
Tsav 9 - Hebrew for Order 9, a reference to call-up orders for Israeli military reservists - said after the May 13 incident it acted to stop supplies from reaching Hamas and accused the Israeli government of giving "gifts" to the Islamist group.
"For months, individuals from Tzav 9 have repeatedly sought to thwart the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including by blocking roads, sometimes violently, along their route from Jordan to Gaza, including transiting the West Bank," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement seen by Reuters.