The clarification from the USA weakening the sanctions against Israelis in Judea and Samaria is the second time that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has outmaneuvered American policy. Smotrich has now succeeded twice in his struggle against the United States.
Early last Friday, as a result of Smotrich’s threat, the USA unfroze the bank accounts of the Israelis on which sanctions were imposed. Previously, Smotrich rejected an American demand to transfer frozen funds to the Palestinian Authority.
According to Besheva journalist Assaf Mishnayot, Smotrich’s repeated success shows a significant shift in the balance of economic power between Israel and the United States.
It also shows that a representative of a sovereign nation will not allow outside political influence to dictate how to run its country.