I’m going to try to write more about it tomorrow, but this executive order from President Biden targeting violent settlers in the West Bank is a bigger deal than most people realize. It’s also more far-reaching than I think most expected. People who follow this stuff I think can see it. But there are so many other more immediate, high octane things going on that it’s a bit hard for the news to break through.
Basically it creates a legal and financial framework around the settlements which is pretty far reaching. It certainly doesn’t equate “violent extremist groups” in the West Bank with terrorists (though a lot of them certainly qualify). But it creates a framework of legal/financial toxicity around them that is at least a regulatory and due diligence headache for banks, foundations, corporations, even governments etc. and is potentially game changing in the sense of stuff you just can’t afford to be connected to.
I’m speaking very preliminarily here. But I just want to give you a sense of the kind of regime they’ve set up. I was thinking they were going to sanction a handful of the most feral, weirdo settlers. But this is very different and, again, I think a much bigger deal than people may realize. It also creates a framework for things that this EO doesn’t do now but which could easily be enacted through this framework later.
More soon.
