Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman on Tuesday ordered the summoning for a hearing of ambassadors from countries that have imposed sanctions on Israeli citizens.
Among those set to receive a summons to explain their governments’ targeting of residents of Judea and Samaria is U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew.
The United States has blacklisted several Israeli civilians and entities, pursuant to U.S. President Joe Biden’s Feb. 1 Executive Order 14115, which states that sanctions can be applied to individuals in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) who are seen as “undermining stability” and “prospects of peace.”
In addition, summons for next week’s committee meeting will be issued to the ambassadors of the European Union, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
It marks the first time that the parliament in Jerusalem is initiating a public process on this matter.
The ambassadors are not required to attend the hearing and will be present voluntarily.
Japan on July 23 announced sanctions against four Israelis accused of acts of violence against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, becoming the latest country to do so in recent months.
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada and France, as well as the European Union, have in recent months all imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on Israelis accused of alleged abuses of Palestinians.
Official data show that the number of violent incidents committed by Israelis against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria continues to drop.
Meanwhile, Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in Palestinian terrorist attacks in recent months, with shootings in 2023 reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada of 2000-05, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
On July 15, the European Council, the top decision-making body in the European Union, announced it was designating five Israeli citizens and three Israeli entities under its human-rights-sanctions regime, accusing them of “systematic abuse” of Palestinian civilians in Judea and Samaria.
Only days prior, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on five Israeli entities and three individuals for what it said was their support of acts of “violent extremism” in the disputed areas.