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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris McGreal

What does Biden’s order against Israeli settlers mean and why did he do it now?

A side-by-side image of President Joe Biden and Palestinians mourning a family member who was killed by Israeli settlers
Left, Joe Biden speaks outside the White House on 30 January. Right, Relatives mourn Moaz Odeh, a 29-year-old engineer who was killed by settlers, during his funeral in Nablus, occupied West Bank on 11 October 2023. Composite: Reuters, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Was Joe Biden’s announcement of unprecedented US sanctions against Israeli settlers in occupied Palestine a sign of political weakness at home, or of a newly found willingness to assert American influence over Israel?

The president signed the executive order imposing financial and travel sanctions on settlers who violently attack Palestinians shortly before a campaign rally in the swing state of Michigan, where the largest Arab American population in the country has rounded on Biden over his largely blanket support for Israel’s assault on Gaza.

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