Illegal Israeli settlers throw stones and tear gas Palestinians in the West Bank

Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Illegal Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinians in their cars in the West Bank on Sunday, before tear-gassing drivers, according to an Israeli human rights group.

The news was reported by Al-Jazeera citing Yesh Din, a non-governmental organization based in Israel. The organization has been tracking incidents of violence committed by Israeli settlers illegally living in the West Bank against Palestinians.

"The Israel government is coming out against the U.S. imposing sanctions on violent settlers but continues to do nothing to stop West Bank settler violence," Yesh Din said in a post on social media last week.

The organization has also been calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, while noting that only 6.6% of all criminal investigations opened by Israel against Palestinians they have detained have led to a conviction. And less than 1% of complaints against Israeli soldiers led to indictments.

Earlier this month, Joe Biden targeted violent settlers in the West Bank with sanctions -- a surprise move considering the president's long historical ties to Israel.

"[The violence] has reached intolerable levels and constitutes a serious threat to the peace, security and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel and the broader Middle East region," Biden said.

"These actions undermine the foreign policy objectives of the United States, including the viability of a two-state solution and ensuring Israelis Palestinians can attain equal measures of security, prosperity and freedom."

But critics have said the sanctions, which only named a handful of people, don't go far enough as Palestinians point to the hundreds of people killed by Israelis before Hamas attacked on October 7. In 2023 alone, 199 Palestinians living in the West Bank were killed up through October 6.