US designates Zionist settler group for attacking Palestinians in W. Bank

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating Hilltop Youth, a violent extremist group that has repeatedly attacked Palestinians and destroyed Palestinian homes and property in the West Bank, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14115. "Through these violent activities, Hilltop Youth is actively destabilizing the West Bank and harming the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis alike," the Treasury said in a press release on Tuesday. Hilltop Youth has devastated Palestinian communities and carried out killings, mass arson, and other so-called "price tag" attacks to exact revenge and intimidate Palestinian civilians, and has repeatedly clashed with the Israeli military as it counters their activities. "The worsening violence and instability in the West Bank are detrimental to the long-term interests of Israelis and Palestinians, and the actions of violent organizations like Hilltop Youth only exacerbate the crisis," said Acting Under-Secretary of the Treasu ry for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. "The United States will continue to hold accountable the individuals, groups, and organizations that facilitate these hateful and destabilizing acts," Smith added. Source: Kuwait News Agency