Joe Biden to target Israeli settlers who attack Palestinians in West Bank

Joe Biden is expected to issue an executive order targeting Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians in the occupied territory, according to sources.

A senior administration official said the White House is expected to announce the order later on Thursday.

The US president has spoken out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank since the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7.

He has pledged that those those responsible for the violence will be held accountable.

The executive order is expected to pave the way for sanctions on individuals who have engaged in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Attacks by Israeli settlers have intensified since the war started, and some Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian authorities.

Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing evacuations to other areas.

Mr Biden spoke out in late October saying violence by “extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning fires in the Middle East since the Hamas strikes.

“It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,” he said.

The Democratic president has faced criticism from Arab and Muslim leaders over his handling of the war with Hamas, and the shadow of the conflict has some Democrats worrying that it could have a major effect on the outcome of the November presidential election.

The State Department announced in December that it would impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a series of attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The department did not announce individual visa bans, but officials said at the time that the bans would cover “dozens” of settlers and their families, with more to come if the violence continued.