Canada is the first government to sanction Amana, a key West Bank settlements group which states that its goal is to settle one million settlers in the West Bank
Amir Tibon. Bar Peleg. Josh Breiner.
Haaretz. Jun 27, 2024 9:16 pm IDT
Canada’s government sanctioned the Amana movement, the main settlements organization in the West Bank, and veteran settler Daniella Weiss, as part of a new round of sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities “for their role in facilitating, supporting or financially contributing to acts of violence … against Palestinian civilians and their property,” according to Canada’s statement.
Canada is the first government to sanction Amana, one of the flagship organizations of the settlements in the West Bank. The movement is headed by Ze’ev Hever, a former member of the Jewish Underground, a terrorist organization that operated in the West Bank in the 1980s.
Amana has been involved in the establishment of many settlements and unauthorized outposts through its Binyanei Bar Amana subsidiary. Its supreme goal is to settle one million settlers in the areas of the West Bank. A series of investigations published in Haaretz in recent years indicate that to that end, the movement is violating the law.
Weiss is the head of the Nahala movement, which works to establish illegal outposts, and was behind the establishment of the Evyatar outpost.
The Lehava movement and its founder Bentzi Gopstein are also among those sanctioned. Gopstein advises National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on issues regarding the police, the police commissioner and officers in the organization, as published in Haaretz.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, “We remain deeply concerned by extremist settler violence in the West Bank and condemn such acts, not only for the significant impact they have on Palestinian lives, but also for the corrosive impact they have on prospects for lasting peace. We call on authorities to ensure the protection of civilians and hold perpetrators of such violence accountable.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that all sanctions are “an attempt to give a huge reward to terrorism and the massacre Hamas committed against Israeli civilians and force us to establish a terrorist state in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank].”
“After October 7, a huge majority of Israel understands the terrible danger of establishing a Palestinian state,” Smotrich continued. “We will continue to develop and strengthen settlements and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Ben-Gvir called Canada’s sanctions “a distinctly antisemitic decision” against “Zionist movements engaged for many years in the sacred work of building our country.”
“A sovereign country will not accept dictates from any country, and even more so, will not impose sanctions on its citizens out of political decisions on foreign policy matters,” Ben-Gvir continued.
Canada also imposed sanctions on Einan Ben Nir Amram Tanjil, who was sentenced this week to six months of community service and fined after he attacked a left-wing activist in the West Bank; Elisha Yered, former spokesman of MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party, who was arrested in 2023 on suspicion of murder in the village of Burqa; Ely Federman, who was involved in many violent confrontations with shepherds in the South Hebron Hills; Meir Ettinger, who in the past was considered one of the leaders of the hilltop youth; and Shalom Zicherman, who in 2022 was convicted of attacking left-wing activists.
Some of these individuals have been sanctioned in the past in the United States and in several European countries.
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