(RNS) — On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced it would impose sanctions on Ben Zion Gopstein, the leader of Lehava, an extremist group in the West Bank that advocates for preserving Jewish ethnicity in Israel. “Under Gopstein’s leadership, Lehava and its members have been involved in acts or threats of violence against Palestinians, often targeting sensitive or volatile areas,” the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
Also sanctioned were two fundraising groups, Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich, which had attempted to raise funds for two other settler leaders who were sanctioned earlier this year.
Sanctions against anyone who undermined peace and security in the West Bank were legalized by a February executive order by President Joe Biden.
The new sanctions come as violence increased in the West Bank in recent days, as Jewish settlers attacked several Palestinian towns in retribution for the kidnapping and murder of a Jewish teenager on April 13. At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in the unrest.
Gopstein and Lehava had been accused of fomenting violence against Jewish-Arab peace initiatives, including a joint Hebrew-Arabic school in Jerusalem. Gopstein has also been criticized for inciting violence against Israel’s Christian minorities.
Ben Zion Gopstein in 2016. (Photo courtesy Wikipedia/Creative Commons)
Gopstein was a disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane, the founder of the Jewish Defense League in the United States and the Kach Party in Israel, both of which have been designated terror organizations in their respective countries. Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990.
In Israel, liberal and pluralistic Jewish groups have long advocated against Gopstein and Lehava’s activities.
“Lehava’s basic message is that Arabs ar …
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Also sanctioned were two fundraising groups, Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich, which had attempted to raise funds for two other settler leaders who were sanctioned earlier this year.
Sanctions against anyone who undermined peace and security in the West Bank were legalized by a February executive order by President Joe Biden.
The new sanctions come as violence increased in the West Bank in recent days, as Jewish settlers attacked several Palestinian towns in retribution for the kidnapping and murder of a Jewish teenager on April 13. At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured in the unrest.
Gopstein and Lehava had been accused of fomenting violence against Jewish-Arab peace initiatives, including a joint Hebrew-Arabic school in Jerusalem. Gopstein has also been criticized for inciting violence against Israel’s Christian minorities.
Ben Zion Gopstein in 2016. (Photo courtesy Wikipedia/Creative Commons)
Gopstein was a disciple of Rabbi Meir Kahane, the founder of the Jewish Defense League in the United States and the Kach Party in Israel, both of which have been designated terror organizations in their respective countries. Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990.
In Israel, liberal and pluralistic Jewish groups have long advocated against Gopstein and Lehava’s activities.
“Lehava’s basic message is that Arabs ar …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]