US Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna is set to introduce a House resolution on Friday condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and calling for accountability over escalating settler violence targeting Palestinian communities, according to a draft shared with Middle East Eye by his office on Thursday.
While past congressional resolutions have criticised settlement expansion in broad terms, the California representative’s measure adopts more specific language, condemning Israeli settler violence and referencing potential sanctions tools while also calling for a review of US policies that may indirectly subsidise settlement activity.
The non-binding resolution would not become law, but could formally put House lawmakers on the record regarding Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
The resolution notably cites senior Israeli officials Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir in the context of urging the use of US authorities to impose targeted sanctions on individuals implicated in “serious human rights abuses”.
On 8 February, the Israeli government approved sweeping changes to land registration and civil control in Areas A and B of the West Bank, which Palestinians say breach the Oslo Accords and advance de facto annexation.
Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the changes would “dramatically” alter West Bank policy, paving the way for expanded settlements and land seizure.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
The resolution also calls on US President Donald Trump to implement a “verifiable freeze” of development in the E1 corridor between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement, warning that construction in the area would undermine the territorial contiguity needed for a viable Palestinian state.
The US has historically backed a two-state solution as a matter of state policy.
The resolution calls on the Israeli government to immediately halt home demolitions and pause demolition orders across the occupied West Bank, including in communities such as Umm al-Khair, and to cancel land confiscation actions in areas like Sebastia while allowing affected residents “meaningful opportunities” to challenge such decisions through fair procedures.
The draft cites a number of localities affected by home demolitions, evictions, settlement activity, and land designations, including Khallet al-Sidra, the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan, and the archaeological site and town of Sebastia, which dates back to the Bronze Age.
It further urges Israel to halt approvals for additional settlements, evacuate unauthorised outposts, prevent their retroactive legalisation, and take effective steps to prevent settler violence and ensure accountability for perpetrators, including facilitating the return or restitution of displaced residents.
Magnitsky Act
Beyond actions directed at Israel, the resolution urges the US administration to use available sanctions tools, such as the Global Magnitsky Act, to impose measures against entities and individuals, including Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, that materially support settlement expansion or activities linked to demolitions, land confiscation, or displacement.
The Global Magnitsky Act has previously been used by the US to sanction individuals and entities accused of serious human rights abuses in countries including Russia, Saudi Arabia and China.
Although the Biden administration authorised sanctions against individuals linked to Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, the measures largely focused on a small number of individual designations, none of whom were senior Israeli government officials.
The resolution also highlights how US double-taxation and foreign tax credit policies may effectively reduce taxes for American citizens living in Israeli settlements, which the text says could indirectly subsidise settlement expansion.
Khanna has led multiple efforts on Capitol Hill related to Palestinian rights since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and has been among the more vocal members of Congress criticising Israel’s military campaign and the US’s support for it.
In late summer of last year, he also spearheaded an effort to gather support in Congress for recognising a Palestinian state.
Khanna has at times worked across party lines, including with Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has been outspoken in criticising US policy related to the Gaza war, which has been recognised by the United Nations as a genocide. Over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s assault.
The two congressmen sat together at the annual State of the Union address on Wednesday, showing a united front.
First Appeared on
Source link
Leave feedback about this