America just considered sanctioning Israel's own army over settler violence
1 hour ago · 3 October 2026Share
An Israeli soldier at a checkpoint in the West Bank.Picture taken by Justin McIntosh , · CC BY 2.0
America is thinking about punishing Israel's own army.
Haaretz reported it two to three days ago. The Trump administration is weighing sanctions on Israeli military units over settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
So what's actually on the table? Haaretz says three things. Sanctions on units accused of causing serious harm to Palestinian civilians. Limits on certain units using US-made weapons, or banning that in specific areas. And a blacklist of army and police officers accused of letting settlers attack people.
Haaretz also reported that senior US officials have given Israel's defence establishment an unusually sharp warning. They're watching the West Bank closely.
And here's what's worrying them. Not just the settlers. The Israeli military, the police, the Shin Bet security service and the Civil Administration too. US officials reportedly think these bodies are failing to stop attacks on Palestinians, or in some cases helping them along. That includes the seizure of land Palestinians privately own.
Haaretz reported something else too. US officials don't buy Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's line that violent settlers are just a small group.
Now here's the twist. This is the opposite of what Donald Trump did on his very first day back in office.
In January last year, Trump cancelled the sanctions the Biden administration had put on Israeli settlers and groups accused of West Bank violence. Haaretz reported that Biden's team had also looked at sanctioning the Netzah Yehuda battalion, roughly two and a half years ago. Nothing came of it then either.
So why now? Look at the numbers.
The UN's humanitarian office, OCHA, recorded more than 1,600 settler attacks causing Palestinian deaths, injuries or property damage, across 275 communities, by three weeks ago. That's 6.7 attacks a day on average. Last year it was 5 a day.
More than 2,600 Palestinians have been pushed from their homes this year because of settler violence and the access restrictions that come with it, OCHA says.
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Contains a United States Central Intelligence Agency map of the West Bank showing Israeli settlement areas and Palestinian-populated areas. CIA · Public domain
Haaretz separately reported a much bigger number: 2,051 attacks by the Israeli military and settlers on Palestinians, farmland and property in the West Bank last month alone. That figure comes from Haaretz's own reporting. Nobody else has confirmed it independently.
Haaretz also reported that Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister, who also holds a role in the Defence Ministry, is being watched by US officials. They reportedly believe settlement expansion has sped up ahead of Israel's election on 27 October.
And there's a clear example of what's driving all this.
About a week ago, more than 100 Israeli settlers went after the West Bank village of Jalud. Three Israeli security force members were wounded. Two homes were burned. It happened while the Israeli military tried to escort a displaced family, the Tubasis, back onto their own property.
Israeli police arrested one person and questioned two minors. The Israeli military says it separately arrested two settlers.
Netanyahu condemned the attack. He blamed a small group of rioters. Isaac Herzog, Israel's President, said the attack was a stain on the country's morals and an attack on the rule of law.
But on the sanctions deliberations themselves, Israel's government has said nothing on the record. Smotrich has defended settler actions before, as necessary for security. And most of the world sees West Bank settlements as illegal under international law. Israel disputes that.
America isn't alone in pushing back either. Britain, France and Canada are leading a group of 12 Western countries restricting trade with Israeli settlements. Haaretz's report also mentioned criticism from Ed Miliband, Britain's Foreign Secretary, EU sanctions on settlements, and customs checks on settlement goods at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.
And in Washington, the Senate recently rejected, narrowly, a resolution that would have forced the State Department to report on Israeli human rights violations in the West Bank.
So what don't we know? Whether any of this actually happens. Haaretz reported that US measures are expected to wait until after Israel's election on 27 October, and the US midterms a week after that. No specific units have been named. Nobody knows if Trump would overrule the State Department or the Pentagon if they recommended action. And Israel's government still hasn't responded on the record to the sanctions report itself.
Right now, this is a warning being considered. Not a decision that's been made.
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