The United States has imposed sanctions on Israeli settler group Amana, accusing the organisation of helping perpetrate violence in the occupied West Bank, which has seen a rise in settler attacks on Palestinians, Reuters reports.
Amana provides support to unauthorised settler outposts that are used to expand Jewish settlements and seize Palestinian land, the Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the sanctions, calling the group “a key part of the Israeli extremist settlement movement.”
The sanctions also target a subsidiary of Amana called Binyanei Bar Amana, described by the Treasury as a company that builds and sells homes in Israeli settlements and settler outposts.
The sanctions block Americans from any transactions with Amana and freeze its US-held assets. The United Kingdom and Canada have also imposed sanctions on Amana.
The Treasury Department said Amana maintained ties to other people targeted in previous rounds of US sanctions, including by providing loans to settlers who set up farms in the West Bank from which settlers commit violence.
“More broadly, Amana strategically uses farming outposts, which it supports through financing, loans and building infrastructure, to expand settlements and seize land,” it said.
