How much impact does Amana, the Israeli settler group sanctioned by the US, really have?

JERUSALEM

The United States, Israel's closest ally, has slapped sanctions on Israeli settler group Amana over the ongoing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

The US Treasury Department said on Monday that Amana provides support to unauthorized settler outposts that are used to expand Jewish-only settlements and seize Palestinian land.

The sanctions also targeted a subsidiary of Amana called Binyanei Bar Amana, raising questions about the future of the organization, which has transactions with all Israeli banks.

Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are considered “illegal.”

For decades, the UN has called on Israel to halt its settlement activity, to no avail as the settlements undermine efforts to reach a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

What is Amana?

Amana was established in 1979 to provide support to Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Syrian Golan Heights, Galilee, and the Negev in northern and southern Israel.

The organization focuses on building new settlements, expanding existing ones, and developing settlement outposts. Its activity is focused on the occupied West Bank.

Since 1989, Ze’ev Hever has served as its secretary-general.

Amana also operates in the construction field in the West Bank through its subsidiaries, Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd and Al-Watan. Its activities include encouraging settlers to move to new settlements, planning and establishing settlements and outposts, and assisting Israeli authorities in these locations.

The organization is always keen on avoiding media attention. Despite having assets estimated at hundreds of millions of shekels, its influence on Israeli life is considerable, according to the Hebrew-language daily The Marker, the economic supplement of the Israeli daily Haaretz.

Amana is considered the primary settlement arm of the Gush Emunim movement, a nationalist religious social movement that emerged after the 1973 War to promote settlements in the West Bank, the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

By the 1980s, Gush Emunim ceased to exist as an official entity, with some members integrating into right-wing parties at the time.

Amana supervises the construction of settlements, builds homes, leases caravans, purchases land in the West Bank, and establishes settlement outposts. Its website advertises homes for sale in settlements across the occupied West Bank through its subsidiary, Binyanei Bar Amana Ltd.

Some of the settlements listed on Amana's website are unauthorized outposts that were not officially sanctioned by the Israeli government.

Illegal operations

An investigation conducted by Haaretz newspaper found that Amana sometimes operates illegally, playing a major role in establishing unauthorized agricultural outposts.

In recent years, these outposts have become associated with settler violence against Palestinians.

As a cooperative association, Amana is not required to disclose its financial turnover, making its operations opaque.

The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now estimates its assets at approximately 600 million shekels (around $161 million).

The organization collects monthly fees from residents of dozens of settlements, which were previously identified in a Haaretz investigation as one of its primary revenue streams.

These funds, according to the investigation, help finance construction in unauthorized outposts, an area too risky for standard real estate companies due to potential losses from evacuation orders.

Nine years ago, Amana’s subsidiary Al-Watan made headlines when an investigation by the Israeli news website HaMakor revealed that it was seizing lands owned by Palestinians using forged documents.

What do US sanctions mean?

In July 2024, Canada hit the Israeli organization with sanctions for the first time.

However, the US decision raises questions about its seriousness in enforcing these sanctions, given its unwavering support for Israel’s actions.

There is also uncertainty about the impact of the sanctions on the organization’s ability to provide services, the fate of its business partners, and the implications for buyers and renters of homes in the 83 settlements it has established or is working on in the occupied West Bank.

Sanctions involve cutting economic ties with targeted entities in the countries enforcing them. Additionally, secondary sanctions may be imposed on those who assist in circumventing or violating the restrictions.

As a result, Israeli banks and credit card companies have no choice but to halt all transactions with Amana or risk losing economic ties with the US.

Amana maintains economic relationships with many Israeli companies, which may now be affected by the new sanctions. The organization also collaborates with all Israeli banks.

In its statement on Monday, the US Treasury Department said Amana and its subsidiary, Binyanei Bar Amana, are involved in constructing and developing settlements and outposts in the West Bank.

"The United States, along with our allies and partners, remains committed to holding accountable those who seek to facilitate these destabilizing activities, which threaten the stability of the West Bank, Israel, and the wider region," Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said.

The sanctions freeze the assets of the organization and its subsidiary in the US and prohibit financial transactions with them by American individuals or institutions.

It emphasized that the Israeli organization uses its financial support and infrastructure to expand settlements and confiscate Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Since 1967, Israel has intensified its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli officials openly declare efforts to annex these areas to Israel.

In contrast, Palestinians insist that the West Bank is an integral part of their envisioned independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.

In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala