Imposing Certain Sanctions on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank
The order declares a national emergency over extremist settler violence, forced displacement, and property destruction in the West Bank, and immediately imposes IEEPA-based economic sanctions — asset freezes and entry bans — on foreign persons found responsible for destabilizing those territories.
It marks the first use of emergency economic powers by the United States specifically targeting actors undermining West Bank stability, and gives the Secretaries of State and Treasury authority to designate individuals and entities on an ongoing basis without prior notice.
What this order does
What it orders
The order declares a national emergency and authorizes the Secretaries of State and Treasury to block all U.S.-held property and financial interests of foreign persons determined to have engaged in violence, property destruction, forced displacement, or terrorism affecting the West Bank, or who have led, materially supported, or acted on behalf of such persons. It also immediately suspends the entry of designated persons into the United States as immigrants or nonimmigrants, with narrow exceptions for cases that serve U.S. law enforcement interests. The Treasury Secretary is empowered to promulgate regulations and use all IEEPA powers to carry out the order, and all executive departments are directed to support implementation.
The order carves out transactions for official U.S. government and United Nations business, and specifies that prior notice to designated persons is not required because the ability to transfer assets instantaneously would render advance notice ineffectual. It does not itself name specific individuals; actual sanctions take effect as the Secretary of State or Treasury makes individual designations.
Who it affects
Foreign persons — including individuals and entities — found to have engaged in or supported violence, forced displacement, property destruction, or terrorism in the West Bank. U.S. persons and financial institutions holding assets for such individuals are also directly bound by the asset-freeze prohibitions.
Why it matters
Designated individuals immediately lose access to any assets held in the United States and are barred from entering the country. U.S. banks, businesses, and individuals are prohibited from transacting with them, cutting off designated persons from the U.S. financial system.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The Secretaries of State and Treasury make designations on a rolling basis, in consultation with each other, without prior notice to the target. Once designated, a person's U.S.-held assets are frozen and their entry into the country is suspended. Treasury is authorized to issue regulations, redelegate functions within the department, and submit recurring reports to Congress under both IEEPA and the NEA. Exceptions require a finding by State or DHS that entry would not harm U.S. interests, or would advance law enforcement objectives on recommendation of the Attorney General.
Actions and deadlines
- Establish procedures for implementing visa restrictions against designated persons
- Establish procedures for implementing entry suspensions against designated noncitizens
- Submit recurring and final reports to Congress on the national emergency