Israel's Netanyahu rejects Biden's sanction against 4 settlers in West Bank

JERUSALEM, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected on Thursday an executive order issued by U.S. President Joe Biden sanctioning Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu said that his country "takes action against any lawbreakers regardless of their location, therefore exceptional measures in this regard are unnecessary."

According to Netanyahu, the "absolute majority" of West Bank settlers are "law-abiding citizens."

Biden's order imposes financial sanctions and visa bans on four Israeli individuals, according to a statement released by the White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The move has prompted concerns in the Israeli government that the same mechanism will later be used to sanction far-right settler leaders serving as Cabinet ministers in Netanyahu's ultranationalist coalition government.

Palestinians have frequently accused Israeli settlers of perpetrating attacks against them and damaging their property.

Israel seized the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war and has continued to occupy the territory ever since. The international community widely regards the settlements as a hurdle for peace between Israel and the Palestinians because they are built in territories where the Palestinians wish to establish their future state.