The Israel Postal Bank has sequestered and closed the account of David Chai Chasdai, one of four Israelis who were targeted by US sanctions for claims of violence against Arabs in Judea and Samaria.
The account is shared with Chasdai's wife. "The fact that a government bank decides to sequester the accounts of settlers because of pressure from far-left organizations and the hostile American government is unfathomable, but the fact that it is happening under a right-wing government a moment after the worst massacre in history is a national embarrassment," he stated.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir commented: "Limiting the accounts of settlers without explanation or trial, is crossing a red line which we can not allow. The bank CEOs follow statements of external parties and put them into action. I call on the responsible parties in Israel to immediately work to return the bank accounts that were closed. We very much respect and appreciate our allies, but we can not allow anyone else to run the State of Israel."
Minister of Communication, Shlomo Karhi, who oversees the Israel Postal Company, added: "Blocking the bank account of a citizen because of a disgraceful order by the United States is insufferable. Such an action against an Israeli citizen, without any proper legal process, is something that we can not lend a hand to. To my great pain, as the citizens of Israel have learned, the mail service is highly unsatisfactory and the Supreme Court even blocked the ministers' authorities on the matter. I have sent the issue for legal examination, and if I indeed have the authority, I will order the account be reopened."
On Sunday, MK Tzvi Succot visited Yinon Levi, a target of the US sanctions whose account was frozen by Bank Leumi.
According to Succot, the US sanctions against Levi are baseless: "There is no evidence to the allegations, there is no indictment, criminal record or a record with the Shin Bet. All it is is that leftists don't like that Jews are building a farm."
Regarding the executive order, the MK stated: "It somehow reached the American administration, Biden signed an order to freeze his assets in the US, but the crazy part is that Bank Leumi called him and froze his bank account."
Succot criticized the bank: "It makes no sense for an Israeli bank to freeze the bank account of someone, who is the salt of the earth, because of a leftist libel that reached the Americans. This is illegal, no one has the authority to just freeze someone's bank account, and if the issue is not fixed, I will demand to hold an urgent discussion in the Knesset."