REUTERS, Washington

US President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that aims to punish Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank following the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Biden’s order establishes a system for imposing financial sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals who are found to have attacked or intimidated Palestinians or seized their property, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

“Today’s actions seek to promote peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said.

United Nations figures show that daily settler attacks have more than doubled in the nearly four months since the Hamas attack and Israel’s ensuing assault on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

The order freezes any US assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. The State Department on Thursday also planned to announce the first four individuals hit by the order, two senior Biden administration officials told reporters.

Biden and other senior US officials have warned repeatedly that Israel must act to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the

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