West Bank Sanctions Made Permanent: New Bill Locks Down Policy and Limits Presidential Power

If you’ve been following foreign policy, you know that U.S. sanctions are often put in place by the President via Executive Orders (EOs). These can be changed or canceled by the next administration, which can lead to policy whiplash. This bill, the SANCTIONS in the West Bank Act, is designed to stop that.

This legislation takes the sanctions currently in place under Executive Order 14115—which target individuals undermining peace and security in the West Bank—and makes them permanent law. Think of it like taking a temporary policy memo and turning it into a federal statute. The key takeaway for anyone paying attention to how policy gets made is that these sanctions are now locked in, meaning a future President can’t simply wave a pen and cancel them.

The Sanctions Just Got a Statutory Upgrade

What does this codification mean in practice? First, durability. The sanctions originally established by EO 14115 are now part of the U.S. Code, effective the day this Act is signed. Second, the bill immediately reinstates any sanctions that were previously lifted under a later order (EO 14148). If someone had been sanctioned, then un-sanctioned, they are now back on the sanctions list right away, no questions asked.

For the individuals targeted by these sanctions—who are often involved in organized violence or destabilizing activities—this means their financial isolation is now a much more stable, long-term reality. Their access to the U.S. financial system, and potentially international systems that follow U.S. policy, is permanently blocked unless they meet specific, high-bar requirements.

Putting the President on a Leash

This bill significantly changes how the President can lift these specific sanctions, effectively reducing the Executive Branch’s unilateral power. Before, a President could lift an EO sanction relatively easily. Now, if the President wants to terminate sanctions on a specific person, they must first determine that the individual has stopped the harmful activity and provided “reliable promises” not to engage in it again. That’s a subjective standard, but it’s a necessary hurdle.

Crucially, the President must then notify four specific congressional committees—Foreign Relations and Banking in the Senate; Foreign Affairs and Financial Services in the House—at least 15 days before the termination takes effect. This 15-day notice gives Congress time to react, ask questions, or potentially push back against the decision. The only exception to the 15-day rule is in “exigent circumstances,” where the President can act immediately but must notify Congress within three business days. This 'exigent circumstances' clause is a bit vague, and it’s where the Executive Branch retains a sliver of flexibility, but it still requires immediate reporting to Congress.

In essence, this bill shifts the power balance. It ensures that a major foreign policy tool—sanctions—is now a matter of statute, not just executive preference. For Congress, this is a win for oversight, as they get a mandatory seat at the table before any of these specific sanctions can be removed. For the President, it means losing some foreign policy agility, as every decision to lift a sanction is now subject to a mandatory 15-day public review by key committees.