U.S. Backs Away From Sanctions on Israeli Settlers in Settlement With Regavim

Regavim says it has reached a formal settlement with the U.S. federal government after a two-year legal fight over Biden-era sanctions. The case, filed in summer 2024 by an international legal team, challenged sanctions imposed on Israelis and Israeli organizations, including the Regavim-backed group Tzav 9, on allegations of involvement in violent activity.

According to the group, the American measures triggered a wider international trend in which other countries began using sanctions against Israelis, causing serious diplomatic and reputational damage abroad. In its petition to the federal court, Regavim argued that the policy amounted to an unprecedented violation of free speech in a functioning democracy and said there was no justification for a foreign state to intervene in Israel’s internal political or criminal affairs.

Regavim said the legal landscape changed after Donald Trump entered the White House, when all previous sanctions were lifted immediately. Even so, the organization continued the case in order to establish a permanent precedent that would prevent similar policies under future administrations. The agreement reached this week commits the U.S. government not to interfere in Israel’s sovereignty or institutions.

The deal also provides explicit protection for a defined list of entities, says sanctions will not be imposed on Israeli citizens who also hold U.S. citizenship and are entitled to due process, and bars penalties against individuals or groups solely because they live in Judea and Samaria. Regavim chief executive Meir Deutsch said, “The days when Israel’s democracy could be trampled through sanctions are over,” adding that the fight was about defending Israeli democracy and stopping what he called a dangerous wave of sanctions that could threaten any citizen and Israel’s future.