On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump officially revoked sanctions that the previous Biden administration had imposed on far-right Israeli settler groups and individuals accused of engaging in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. This announcement was detailed on the newly launched White House website.

According to the website, Trump revoked Executive Order 14115, issued on February 1, 2024. This executive order authorised specific sanctions "on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank."

Trump’s decision marks a significant policy reversal from the Biden administration’s earlier actions. Under Biden, sanctions had been imposed on various Israeli settler individuals and organisations, which included freezing their US-based assets and generally prohibiting American citizens from conducting business with them.

The decision comes at a time when global attention remains heavily focused on the ongoing war in Gaza. Meanwhile, the increasing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, along with reports of land seizures in the occupied territories, has sparked concerns among some of Israel’s Western allies.

The U.S. sanctions on Israeli settlers were introduced after the Biden administration repeatedly urged the Israeli government to hold extremist individuals accountable for actions that, in Washington's view, undermined prospects for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank, an area that Palestinians envision as the heart of their future independent state. Over the years, Israel has constructed Jewish settlements in the territory, which the majority of nations consider illegal. Israel disputes this stance, citing historical and Biblical connections to the land as justification.

Trump’s stance on settlements represented a significant departure from prior U.S. policy. During his first term in 2019, Trump broke away from the traditional U.S. position that deemed the settlements illegal- a policy later reinstated by Biden.

Israel Ganz, the chairman of the Yesha settler council, known for his close relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had expressed confidence in October that Trump would remove the sanctions if he returned to office. Ganz shared his expectations with Reuters.