On July 11, 2024, FinCEN issued a supplemental alert to highlight additional red flags regarding financing of Israeli extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. In February 2024, FinCEN issued an alert to financial institutions related to funding of terrorist attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli extremists.
Since publication of the February 2024 Alert, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of State have collectively designated 13 individuals and entities and the Treasury continues to be concerned by reports of escalating violence in the West Bank, including attacks on humanitarian aid convoys by Israeli settlers. In line with this, FinCEN issued additional red flag indicators of suspicious activity potentially related to the financing of Israeli extremist settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. These additional red flag indicators include:
Payments involving entities, individuals, addresses on accounts, receiving addresses, or IP addresses linked to any West Bank “outpost.”
References or payments to accounts held in the name of Israeli violent extremist settler groups or individuals involved or implicated in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including references or payments to accounts held by known immediate family members of designated individuals. The West Bank region may also be referred to as “Judea and Samaria,” “Shomron,” “Yehuda,” or “Yehuda v’Shomoron” by supporters of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
References or payments to accounts or webpages that are fundraising for convicted, imprisoned, or U.S.-sanctioned violent extremists who targeted Palestinians in the West Bank.
Accounts that share a merchant representative, email, phone number, social media page, or physical address with accounts held in the name of designated individuals or entities.
Payments to beneficiaries, accounts, or crowdfunding campaigns linked to social media indicating support for violence in the West Bank, including pictures and videos, support for violence targeting Palestinians in the West Bank, or references to known or designated Israeli settler violent extremists, outposts, herding farms, or groups. Crowdfunding campaigns and social media may include phrases like “State Land,” “Area C,” “preserving State Land,” “Hilltop Youth,” “Youth of the Hills,” or “stopping supply convoys.”
Read FinCEN’s press release here.
The full alert can be found here.
