International
US issues more sanctions over Israeli ‘settler violence’ in West Bank
US issues more sanctions over Israeli ‘settler violence’ in West Bank
The United States has imposed sanctions on an Israeli settler group and a civilian security guard in the occupied West Bank amid intensifying violence against Palestinians in the territory.
The sanctions on Wednesday targeted Hashomer Yosh, which describes itself as a volunteer organisation that aims to “protect” Israeli farmers in the West Bank, and Yitzhak Levi Filant, the civilian security coordinator of the Yitzhar settlement, south of Nablus.
“Extremist settler violence in the West Bank causes intense human suffering, harms Israel’s security, and undermines the prospect for peace and stability in the region,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
“It is critical that the Government of Israel hold accountable any individuals and entities responsible for violence against civilians in the West Bank.”
It said Hashomer Yosh fenced off the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta earlier this year, preventing its displaced residents from returning to their homes.
Several Israeli media outlets have reported that Hashomer Yosh has received financial support from the Israeli government.
Washington also accused Filant of engaging in malign activities, including setting up roadblocks and conducting patrols earlier this year “to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them”.
The sanctions freeze the assets of Filant and Hashomer Yosh in the US and bar American citizens from engaging in financial transactions with them.
For years, Hashomer Yosh was able to raise funds in the US, including through JGive, a website that gathers donations for groups the Israeli government certifies as charities.
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Hashomer Yosh’s page on JGive appeared to be disabled on Wednesday. The website did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.
Wednesday’s measures come one day after a settler attack killed one Palestinian and injured three others near Bethlehem. Earlier in August, violent settlers also ravaged the village of Jit in the northern West Bank, killing a 23-year-old man.
The ransacking of Jit sparked international outrage and even verbal condemnation from Israeli officials. But Israel rarely ever criminally charges settlers for violence against Palestinians.
Moreover, Palestinian rights advocates say settler assaults happen under the watch – if not cooperation – of Israeli soldiers in the area.
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a US-based rights group that previously called for sanctions against Filant, welcomed Wednesday’s measures and urged penalties against Israeli officials involved in settler violence.
“Targeting the notorious Yitzhar security officer, Filant, is an important step in recognizing the institutional and state-backed nature of settler violence,” Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, director of research for Israel-Palestine at DAWN, said in a statement.
“The sanctions will never put an end to settler violence unless they start targeting the state institutions and politicians who treat settlers as a tool of their expansionist policies.”
Israeli political analyst Akiva Eldar said the US sanctions are “too little and maybe even too late”.
Eldar blamed far-right elements in the Israeli government, which he compared to ISIL (ISIS), for enabling settler violence.
“There are Jewish supremacists sitting in the cabinet meetings, and what they want is chaos. They are not afraid of the international community,” he told Al Jazeera.
This year, the US and some of its Western allies have sanctioned several violent settlers whom they describe as “extremists”.
But the administration of President Joe Biden has maintained its staunch support for Israel. Washington, which backs the Israeli army’s war in Gaza and deadly raids in the West Bank, authorised a $20bn arms deal with Israel earlier this month.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli military launched a large-scale offensive in the West Bank that has killed at least 10 people.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on Wednesday for the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians” in the West Bank to allow for the military operation, prompting fears that Israel may be planning for mass displacement orders in the territory.
The vast majority of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal. The settlement enterprise in the area captured by Israel in 1967 breaches the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the occupying power from transferring “parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”.
The Biden administration says the settlements are “inconsistent with international law”.
US issues more sanctions over Israeli ‘settler violence’ in West Bank
International
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
BEIRUT: Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll.
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Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.
As the strikes were under way, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets across the city.
Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs
ARAB NEWS
International
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised the legal cases brought against him, calling them “empty and lawless”.
He accused Democrats of weaponising the judicial system to target him as a political opponent.
In a strongly worded statement, Trump alleged that over $100 million in taxpayer money had been wasted in what he described as a politically driven effort to undermine his influence.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before,” he said, pointing to high-profile prosecutors, including Georgia’s Fani Willis and New York Attorney General Letitia James, as key figures in what he called a “political hijacking.”
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Trump also accused Willis of colluding with Nathan Wade, whom he described as “her lover” and lacking the experience to handle such cases.
He claimed Wade was paid “millions,” allegedly enabling lavish trips and cruises.
Letitia James, who is pursuing a civil fraud case against Trump, was also criticised.
He claimed she had campaigned on a promise to “get Trump” in her bid for office, an action he labelled “unethical” and “probably illegal.”
Trump also mentioned Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, alleging that Bragg initially resisted prosecuting him but was pressured into action by the Justice Department and the Democratic Party.
Describing the series of legal actions as a “low point in the history of our Country,” Trump maintained his resolve, declaring: “I persevered, against all odds, and WON.”
Over $100m wasted, Trump mocks Democrats for targeting him
International
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
A United States federal jury sentenced two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, to 30 years in prison for scamming certain US citizens $3,500,000.
This was mentioned in a news statement made public on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.
According to the statement, the Nigerians, Ibekie and Aniukwu mislead their victims by informing them that they had received big inheritances that required payment to claim.
The couple would then ask their victims to transfer money, promising to refund them after the inheritances were claimed.
It also stated that the duo carried out romance scams by establishing romantic relationships with their victims and demanding them to send money after they had built trust in their victims.
It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.
“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.
“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.
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“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”
According to the statement, after being arraigned on 14 charges, the duo pleaded guilty to their different alterations.
Following their guilty pleas, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, and Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 8.
The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.
“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”
Meanwhile, Jennifer Gosha, an accomplice of the Nigerians and a US citizen, is expected to be sentenced on December 18 after pleading guilty.
“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.
US-based Nigerians get 30-year sentence over $3.5m romance scam
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