Treasury sanctions groups that raised funds for extremists inciting West Bank violence

April 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced new sanctions against two entities for their roles in raising funds on behalf of a pair of "violent extremists" accused of carrying out violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The sanctions designate the Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich for raising funds for Yinon Levi and David Chai Casdai, who had both been previously sanctioned by the United States over violence in the West Bank.

"Mount Hebron Fund and Shlom Asiraich generated tens of thousands of dollars for extremists responsible for destroying property, assaulting civilians, and violence against Palestinians," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said in the statement issued Friday.

"Such acts by these organizations undermine the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank. We will continue to use our tools to hold those responsible accountable."

The Treasury said the Mount Hebron fund generated $140,000 through a donation campaign on behalf of Levi after he was sanctioned by the United States for leading groups that assaulted Palestinian and Bedouin who burned fields and destroyed property belonging to Palestinian and Bedouin civilians in the West Bank.

The fundraising campaign was ultimately removed while a local financial institution seized the funds, the Treasury said.

Shlom Asiraich also raised $31,000 for Chasdai who was sanctioned for leading a riot which included setting vehicles and buildings on fire and assaulting Palestinian civilians, according to U.S. officials.

The fundraiser explicitly stated it was raising funds for Chasdai as a result of the sanctions and was ultimately removed from the crowdfunding website that hosted it.

The U.S. State Department also announced concurrent sanctions against Ben-Zion Gopstein, "the founder and leader of an organization whose members have engaged in violence, including assaults on Palestinian civilians."

Last month, the United States sanctioned three extremists including Zvi Bar Yosef, Moshe Sharvit and Neriya Ben Pazi, as part of escalating scrutiny over Israel's ability to crack down on violence in the West Bank.