Israeli settlements leader welcomes Trump’s reversal of sanctions on settlers: Report
Yossi Dagan, the head of the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, has welcomed Trump’s decision to reverse US sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“President Donald Trump’s decision to lift the scandalous sanctions imposed by his predecessor, Biden, upon entering the White House is not only an important moral message – it is also a political message that the United States is once again becoming a friend of Israel,” the Israel Hayom news outlet quoted Dagan as saying.
“This decision by Trump illustrates how much he loves Israel and how pro-Israeli and committed his base is to Israel,” he said.
“This illustrates more than anything else how much the Israeli government and the prime minister have a historic opportunity … to do great, historic things – whether the Trump administration agrees or disagrees – because this is a disagreement between friends,” he said.
Ben-Gvir, Smotrich welcome Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Israeli settlers
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have welcomed Trump’s reversal of US sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
“I welcome the historic decision of incoming US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions imposed by the Biden administration,” Ben-Gvir said in a post on X.
“This is a righting of an injustice of many years, in which distorted policies were pursued by the American administration and also by local elements who confused lovers with enemies,” he said. “Now, all that remains is to hope for a change in policy towards the terrorist organisation Hamas, in a way that will not allow them oxygen and deals that help them continue their activities.”
Smotrich said on X: “These sanctions were a serious act of blatant foreign interference in the internal affairs of the State of Israel, and harmed the principles of democracy and the mutual relationship between the two friendly countries.”
Addressing Trump, he said, “your firm and uncompromising stand by the State of Israel is an expression of your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historic right to our land”.
Ben-Gvir resigned from the government in protest against the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Hamas calls for ‘escalation of resistance’ to West Bank settler violence
In a statement, Hamas has condemned the latest Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank towns of Jinsafut and Funduq and called for an “escalation of resistance in all its forms” to counter the violence.
“The escalation of settler terrorism underscores the urgent need for our heroic people across all governorates of the West Bank to rise in a sweeping wave of anger to deter the settlers and repel their terrorist attacks,” said the group.
The settler attacks, in concert with Israeli military campaigns, Hamas said, will not “succeed in pushing our people to give up their land and rights”. Rather, it will lead to “further steadfastness and defiance”.
Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns Trump’s reversal of sanctions on Israeli settlers
The ministry has also warned “against attempts to detonate the situation in the occupied West Bank, in search of justifications to copy the crimes of genocide and displacement committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, and transfer them to the West Bank”.
Its statement denounced the “violent chaos” of the settlers’ “brutal attacks”.
The ministry said it held the international community responsible for “its failure to fulfill its obligations towards our people” and demanded international sanctions on Israel and its settler organisations.
It said it is working with humanitarian organisations to put international pressure on the Israeli government to ensure the settler attacks stop.
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