President Biden recently imposed financial sanctions on Israelis accused of violent assaults in the occupied West Bank. Crowdfunding campaigns on behalf of two of the men had collected over $170,000. Far-right Israelis pledged the funds in support of the settlers, whose efforts to exert Israeli control over lands in the West Bank have often involved maintaining illegal outposts and assaulting and intimidating Palestinians. However, an Israeli credit card company refused to transfer the funds, leading to a legal battle. The company argued that the donations were intended for Mr. Levi’s family and should not be affected by the U.S. restrictions. A court in Tel Aviv issued a temporary injunction while it hears arguments in the matter. The Biden administration announced sanctions on Feb. 1, barring four Israelis from the U.S. financial system. Some Israeli banks have enacted restrictions on the men to comply with the American measures. The sanctions have caused financial difficulties for the accused Israelis, with Mr. Levi unable to access his money in Israel and struggling to pay workers on his farm. A crowdfunding campaign in support of Mr. Levi raised over $141,000 but was taken down after the Israeli credit card company asked for it to be removed. A lawsuit was filed to get the company to release the money to a trustee that would manage the funds for the family. The Mount Hebron Fund, which organized the campaign, was founded in 2015 by the Mount Hebron Regional Council, a state-funded local authority in the West Bank.
