174 House Democrats sign on to sanctions against West Bank settlements
“Change in landscape from bipartisan defense of Israel as ‘sacrosanct’”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Hoon-sang = The American media outlet The Hill reported on the 27th (local time) that if the U.S. Democratic Party regains the majority position in the Federal House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, it will strictly deal with Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is likely to become Speaker of the House when the Democratic Party holds the majority in the House of Representatives, criticized violence against Israeli settlers in the West Bank to reporters last week and said, "That cannot continue."
Democratic leaders also support legislation that would impose sanctions on Israelis involved in violence in the occupied West Bank. Rep. Jeffries said of this bill, "It receives broad support across the Democratic House of Representatives," and suggested that this bill could become a key bill for the Democratic Party next year. This bill was signed by 174 out of 214 Democratic House members.
The Hill commented, "At one time, defending Israel, America's closest ally in the Middle East, was virtually a sacrosanct bipartisan area, but (Jeffreys's) remarks are evidence that the political landscape in Washington has changed significantly."
The issue of Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians has long been a source of conflict within the Democratic Party. There has been a conflict between those who strongly defend Israel and progressive lawmakers who criticize it. For this reason, Democratic Party leaders have tried to avoid bills that could expose such divisions, but the trend has recently been changing.
It is not an intention to sever the alliance with Israel or deny the right to self-defense, but public opinion has grown within the Democratic Party that at the very least, pressure should be placed on the Israeli government, which is pushing ahead with the construction of West Bank settlements and virtually abandoning the violence that occurs during this process.
Representative Jeffries said, “I support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and a democratic state,” but “at the same time, we must make it an equal priority to establish a state so that Palestinians can have the dignity and self-determination they deserve.”
Even Democratic Party lawmakers who most supported Israel, such as Steny Hoyer and Lois Frankel, signed this bill.
The Hill reported that most Democratic lawmakers view the West Bank settlements as a "land grab" and believe that the settlements undermine the possibility of peace negotiations based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
According to related organizations, the number of new homes built in Xi'an last year was about 28,000, more than double the previous annual record. Recently, Israeli authorities are also pursuing the highly controversial E-1 settlement development project. The project is criticized for potentially separating a large part of the West Bank from East Jerusalem.
As the construction of new settlements accelerated, settler violence targeting Palestinians also increased. According to the United Nations, between January last year and June this year, 2,803 settler attacks were recorded that resulted in Palestinian casualties, destruction of property, or both. During the same period, 295 Palestinians were killed by Israeli settlers or the military, and 18 Israelis were killed by Palestinians.
