On April 19, 2024, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two entities – Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich – for establishing fundraising campaigns for two sanctioned extremists responsible for violence in the West Bank. Following the designations of Yinon Levi and David Chai Chasdai on February 1, 2024, Mount Hebron Fund allegedly established an online fundraising campaign on behalf of Levy that generated the equivalent of $140,000, while Shlom Asiraich allegedly started an online fundraiser for the benefit of Chasdai that raised the equivalent $31,000. According to OFAC, both fundraising campaigns have been removed from the crowdfunding website.
The designations were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 14115, which targets those responsible for or complicit in actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of the West Bank or provide material or financial assistance to persons blocked pursuant to EO 14115. 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.
OFAC also reported that the U.S. Department of State concurrently designated Ben-Zion Gopstein, the founder and leader of Lehava, an organization whose members have threatened and engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians. Gopstein’s designation was also imposed pursuant to EO 14115 for being a leader engaged in violence or threats of violence against civilians in the West Bank.
U.S. Department of Treasury Press Release | U.S. Department of State Press Release