Democratic senators demand Israeli government halt West Bank settlement expansion plans

A group of Democratic senators is calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse a planned housing development in the West Bank that would effectively divide the Palestinian territory.

In a Friday joint statement led by Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego (D), more than a dozen lawmakers expressed concerns over the government’s decision to open bidding last week on construction in the E1 area east of Jerusalem.

“The United States must remain committed to a two-state solution that delivers lasting peace and security for both the Jewish, democratic State of Israel and for a future Palestinian state,” the Democrats wrote in their statement. “Construction in E1 would take us further away from that goal.”

These expansion plans are set to occur in the West Bank’s E1 area and consist of seven residential compounds with a total of 1,234 housing units, according to The Times of Israel .

A tender published by Israel’s Construction and Housing Ministry on Aug. 18 gives contractors until a deadline of Oct. 19 to bid on the project.

The lawmakers warned the construction could isolate East Jerusalem from population centers like Bethlehem and Ramallah. The expansion project has been stalled for decades and faced ongoing backlash within the region and from abroad.

“For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations have recognized that development in E1 would seriously jeopardize the prospects for a Palestinian state,” the lawmakers wrote. “That concern remains just as urgent today.”

Twenty-nine Democrats signed on to the statement — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Chris Coons (Del.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Cory Booker (N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Mark Warner (Va.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (N.M.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Angela Alsobrooks (Md.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Peter Welch (Vt.).

The new congressional request cited a separate letter signed by 44 Democratic senators and independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) — who caucuses with the Democrats — on Wednesday, calling for the Israeli government to take immediate action against reported violence from Israeli settlers toward Palestinians in the West Bank.

“We urge the Israeli government to immediately rescind these tenders, halt settlement expansion in the West Bank, and take urgent action to rein in settler violence,” the Democrats wrote in their Friday statement.

“Without a change in course, Israel risks weakening its international standing and undermining its prospects for long-term security,” they continued. “We also urge the Trump administration to make full use of its existing authorities, including targeted sanctions on individuals and entities.”

President Trump has historically enjoyed a close relationship with the Israeli leader and defended him against criticism from U.S. lawmakers, but tensions have emerged between the two heads of state amid the Iran war and the implementation of a Gaza peace plan.

Trump appeared to ramp up pressure on Netanyahu to accept the terms of the peace deal when he withheld his endorsement in the prime minister’s reelection race during a Fox News interview last week.

The Israeli leader has pushed back on the proposal, which would require his military to withdraw from Gaza. Netanyahu said the move would require the complete disarmament of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas.