# US sanctions target Israeli settler group and West Bank security coordinator over violence against Palestinians
A Washington move on 2024-08-28 broadened US pressure on violence in the occupied West Bank, as the State Department said it had sanctioned an Israeli settler group and a civilian security coordinator tied to the Yitzhar settlement.
The measures targeted Hashomer Yosh, a volunteer group that says it protects Israeli farmers in the West Bank, and Yitzhak Levi Filant, described by the State Department as the civilian security coordinator for Yitzhar, south of Nablus. The US said both were linked to violence against Palestinians and placed them under sanctions that freeze any US-based assets and bar American citizens from doing business with them.
The announcement added a fresh layer of pressure on an issue that has become one of the most volatile parts of the wider conflict. In its statement, the State Department said extremist settler violence causes severe human suffering, harms Israel’s security and undermines the prospect for peace and stability. It also urged the Israeli government to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on civilians in the West Bank.
According to the evidence packet, the department said Hashomer Yosh had fenced off the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta earlier in the year, blocking displaced residents from returning home. The group has also been reported in Israeli media to have received financial support from the Israeli government, though the packet does not provide an official confirmation of that claim. Its donation page on JGive appeared disabled on the day of the sanctions announcement.
The sanctions on Filant were tied to allegations that he organized roadblocks and patrols intended to pursue Palestinians in their lands and drive them out. Those details place the case within a broader pattern that rights advocates say often goes unpunished. The packet says Israel rarely criminally charges settlers for attacks on Palestinians, and that Palestinian rights groups argue many assaults happen under the watch of Israeli soldiers, if not with their cooperation.
The timing of the move also matters. The sanctions came one day after a settler attack killed one Palestinian and injured three others near Bethlehem, and after a violent raid in the village of Jit earlier in August killed a 23-year-old man. Both incidents fed international criticism of settler violence and the official response to it.
The Biden administration has nevertheless remained strongly aligned with Israel. The packet notes that Washington backed Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the West Bank and approved a $20bn arms deal earlier in August. That dual track, support for Israel’s security on one hand and sanctions on violent settlers on the other, reflects the administration’s attempt to respond to growing international pressure without breaking with its broader position on Israel.
Rights advocates welcomed the step but argued it was not enough. Democracy for the Arab World Now, which had previously called for sanctions against Filant, said the move recognized the institutional character of settler violence but would not stop it unless pressure also reached state institutions and politicians who enable the system.
The new sanctions do not resolve the underlying conflict, but they do show that the US is willing to use financial penalties against individuals and groups it says are driving violence in the occupied territory. For Palestinians in the West Bank, the practical question is whether such measures lead to a change in behavior on the ground or remain another symbolic warning in a long-running crisis.
