Biden should sanction Ben-Gvir, Smotrich before leaving office, Democrats say

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir should be sanctioned for promoting settler violence, weakening the Palestinian Authority, facilitating de facto and de jure annexation, and destabilizing the West Bank, nearly 90 Democrats across the House and Senate pleaded with President Biden in a letter released Thursday. 

The Democrats also called for sanctions on entities Amana and Regavim, organizations that facilitate settlements and block Palestinian construction. 

The letter began with thanking the Biden administration for its "tireless efforts: to secure the release of the hostages, bringing a comprehensive negotiated end to the violence between Israel and Hamas and surge humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. 

The Democrats also said they welcomed Biden's Executive Order addressing actors on all sides undermining peace, security, and stability in the West Bank. 

"We write to express our deep concern about the rise in settler violence, settlement expansion, and measures adopted to weaken the Palestinian Authority and otherwise destabilize the West Bank. Violent settlers, fueled by the inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to violence by members of the Israeli cabinet," the letter said. 

The Democrats wrote that Smotrich had seized the opportunity to take steps to advance illegal and dangerous annexation of the West Bank and had weaponized his authority in order to approve thousands of new settler homes. His policies have also compromised the overall health and stability of the West Bank's economy, the letter said. 

The leaders accused Ben Gvir of playing a prominent role in inciting violence against Palestinian civilians, encouraging the construction of illegal outposts, and preventing enforcement against violent settlers.

"Israel is the United States’ closest and most enduring democratic ally in the Middle East, and we remain completely committed to ensuring its long-term security, including by supporting a negotiated two-state solution," the letter said. "Settler violence in the West Bank, incentivized by external organizations and even by extremist officials in the Netanyahu government, threatens the long-term strategic security of Israel and the region."

Trump's pro-Israel cabinet

Thursday's letter comes just days after President-elect Donald Trump announced his highly pro-Israel cabinet, including his ambassador to Israel, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. 

Huckabee has long maintained that the West Bank should only be called Judea and Samaria and is the biblical homeland of the Jewish people. He also does not believe that settlements are illegal.