Washington/IBNS/UNI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the White House plans to impose visa bans within a matter of weeks on Israeli settlers involved in extremist violence in the West Bank, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing a senior State Department official.

Blinken made the remarks in a closed-door meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, the report added. He also encouraged Israel to take legal action against all lawbreakers, including Israelis who are also US citizens.

The ban would prevent extremist settlers from traveling to the US, although those who are dual US-Israeli citizens would not be affected.

According to the UN, which began tracking fatalities in 2005, the year 2023 was already on track to be the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank, with 248 killed by Israeli forces and settlers before October 7.

Since then, the violence has only skyrocketed, with the same number of Palestinians killed.