A view of a billboard showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump with Hebrew inscription reading 'No to Palestinian state' in Jerusalem, Israel, 10 June 2020. The billboard was placed by Yesha Council, an organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as part of their opposition campaign to Trump administration so-called 'The Deal of the Century' Plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTANThe pro-settler Smotrich, in a message to Trump on Tuesday, called the move an "expression of your deep connection to the Jewish people and our historical right to our land".
Trump's decision is a reversal of a major policy action by former President Joe Biden's administration that had imposed sanctions on numerous Israeli settler individuals and entities, freezing their US assets and generally barring Americans from dealing with them.
"These sanctions were a severe act of foreign interference in the internal affairs of the State of Israel, undermining democratic principles and the mutual relationship between the two friendly nations," Smotrich said.
Smotrich added that Israel looked forward to "continued fruitful cooperation to strengthen its national security, expand settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel, and strengthen Israel's position in the world".
US sanctions on settlers were imposed after the Biden administration repeatedly urged the Israeli government to take action to hold extremists to account for actions that Washington believes set back hopes for a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state. It has built Jewish settlements there that most countries deem illegal. Israel disputes this and cites historical and Biblical ties to the land.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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