After facing sanctions from the US, Yinon Levi battled for weeks to make ends meet while residing at his farming outpost on a hill in the occupied West Bank. But the issues faced by Israeli settlers were short-lived.
His community came together to donate thousands of dollars for him after the banks frozen his accounts, and Israel’s finance minister promised to step in on behalf of the sanctioned settlers. Two months following the imposition of sanctions, Levi was allowed to access his funds.
From his farm in the South Hebron Hills, one of the dozens of enclaves of unofficial settlement scattered over the West Bank, Levi, 31, told The Associated Press, “America thought it would weaken us, and in the end, they made us stronger.”
Levi is one of thirteen extreme Israeli settlers, along with two associated outposts and four organizations, that have been singled out by international penalties due to allegations of assaults and intimidation against Palestinians in the West Bank. People are subject to asset freezes, travel and visa bans, and other sanctions as a deterrent.
Nonetheless, Palestinians in the West Bank, regional human rights organizations, and sanctioned Israelis who talked with AP claim that the actions have had little effect and have instead given settlers more confidence as their attacks and land grabs intensify.
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