Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
The international attention on Gaza has obscured Israel’s other current war on the West Bank.
Jewish settler rampages there have metastasized since Oct. 7, leaving hundreds of peaceful Palestinian civilians dead. Settlers have attacked Palestinian villages in the south Hebron hills with the explicit purpose of ethnic cleansing. These attacks do not arise in a vacuum: they are encouraged and approved by members of Israel’s most right-wing government in history.
It creates a serious problem for the Biden administration. How can President Joe Biden crack down on these settlers—and their backers in Israel’s Cabinet—while still backing Israel’s right of self-defense against Hamas? This question could generate the shock of recognition for many American Jews, who detest the current Israeli government but want to preserve Israel’s security.The answer is straightforward: use the legal authority he already has to sanction right-wing Cabinet ministers directly.