On July 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of State issued a Fact Sheet regarding the designation of individuals and entities involved in violence and instability in the West Bank. The designees are reportedly responsible for violence or the threat of violence against civilians in the West Bank and the seizure of property by private actors in the West Bank. The designees include Reut Ben Haim and Shlomo Yehezkel Hai Sarid, who are leaders and co-founders of U.S.-designated TZAV 9, a violent extremist organization that has allegedly blocked humanitarian aid from reaching intended recipients in the Gaza strip. Another designee is Lehava, one of the largest violent extremists organizations in Israel whose members have reportedly engaged in acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The designations were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 14115, for engaging in actions that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank or engaging in an acts of violence that target civilians, affecting the West Bank. As a result of these designations, all property and interests in property of the designated persons within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving a designated person. Entities owned 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.
On the same day, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN’) issued a Supplemental Alert to enable U.S. financial institutions to identify additional red flags indicators of suspicious activity related to the financing of Israeli extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. This alert supplements a previous alert issued by FinCEN in February 2024. FinCEN also urges U.S. financial institutions to report any suspicious activity that might be related to the financing of violence in the West Bank and to use SAR code (FIN-2024-WBEXTREMISM) when submitting these SARs.