Armed Israeli settlers stand near the outpost of Eviatar in the occupied West Bank, Monday, April 10, 2023 (AP)

+972 Magazine and Local Call news websites issued a report on Wednesday detailing that the Israeli regime has been engaged in surveillance activities by tracking information passed from the US to the Palestinian Authority regarding settler violence in the occupied territories.

Israeli intelligence sources said they were surveilling data in order to "understand what the US knows about settler violence," adding that the initiative is not aimed at prosecuting extremists but at avoiding further sanctions from accumulating.

US officials, on their part, confirmed that they have been sending information to the PA on settler violence. They told +972 and Local Call that this data was the basis for US President Joe Biden's decision to impose sanctions against four Israeli settlers who have previously committed acts of violence on Palestinian residents.

They further said that the information was also responsible for adding dozens of other settlers in a "blacklist," barring them from entering the US.

The agency that has reportedly sent information to the PA is the Office of US Security Coordinator for "Israel" and the Palestinian Authority, alternatively known as the USSC.

Established in 2005, the agency manages relations between the US and the PA’s security forces and coordinates security between "Israel" and the PA. Led by Lieutenant General Michael R. Fenzel since November 2021, the office actively works to prevent settler violence as it recognizes its destabilizing impact on the region and the PA's standing among Palestinians.

"We want to know what the Americans know," one Israeli source told the news websites. "The goal is to know what is going to hit us when Fenzel comes and demands answers about these cases. It’s not for going after the settlers and arresting them — that’s why a lot of people here felt uncomfortable doing it."

"The preoccupation with what the Americans know stems from [the understanding] that they intend to do something with this information," the source added. "Everyone here knows the name Fenzel. The Americans are demanding accountability from Israel, and the Israelis are finding themselves embarrassed. The fact that we are being asked to look for the materials indicates that Israel has no good answers."

Another intel source told the news websites that the Israeli leadership regards international concern over settler violence as "political pressure" and is therefore trying to minimize the scope of the matter by proving it is not as severe as the US claims it to be.

"We’re working to help refute these allegations, or prevent them from developing into sanctions. The political echelon is concerned that all kinds of international moves will be taken that will force Israel to deal with this issue," the source said.

On February 1rst, Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions on four Israeli settlers. The order was implemented after conducting a thorough investigation which did not solely rely on the USSC but also included a collection of information from various sources, which led to undeniable evidence of involvement in violence.

The order detailed that "the situation in the West Bank — in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction — 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."

In response to these sanctions, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Israel acts against lawbreakers everywhere, so there is no need for exceptional steps in this matter."

However, a private investigation conducted by the Yesh Din group revealed that 97% of the 1,664 Israeli police files opened between 2005 and 2023 on settler violence closed without any convictions. In about 81% of these cases, files were closed due to the police's failure to identify evidence or perpetrators.

An annual report by an Israeli NGO, Yesh Din, details Israeli police investigations and responses to settler violence in the #WestBank spanning from 2005 to 2023.
The study's findings underscores a consistent failure by Israeli police to fulfill its obligation of safeguarding… pic.twitter.com/TNgBhgOtxJ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 27, 2024