WASHINGTON, July 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The United States on Wednesday announced new visa restrictions against Israelis who have committed violent acts against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, calling on Israel to hold those individuals accountable.

"This is about a broad trend of increased violence that we have sadly seen over the past months and the need for Israel to do more to hold people accountable for it," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

The measures bar certain Israelis and their loved ones from entering the United States.

Miller said Israel's government has taken "some steps to crack down on settler violence in the West Bank," such as arresting some perpetrators.
"But those steps have not been sufficient," he added.

Among those affected by Wednesday's new restrictions was former Israel Defense Forces soldier Elor Azaria, who was convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison for shooting and killing a wounded Palestinian in 2016.

The names of the other individuals hit by the restrictions were not publicly identified, in accordance with US law.

Violence has increased in the West Bank since Israel went to war in the Gaza Strip after the unprecedented attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.

The new restrictions follow a series of financial sanctions imposed by the United States on more than 20 people or organizations accused of violence against Palestinian civilians.

The sanctions also target outpost settlements built without authorization by Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967.