Democratic bill targets violent Israeli settlers in West Bank

Two Democratic US Congress members, one from the House and the other from the Senate, have introduced a bill that would impose sanctions against individuals committing violence in the occupied West Bank.

The legislation, introduced by Representative Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, is called the Sanctions and Accountability for Non-Compliance and Transparent Investigative Oversight for National Security (SANCTIONS). It aims to codify President Joe Biden’s executive order ordering sanctions on those causing instability in the occupied West Bank.

For the individuals it targets, it would freeze their US-based assets, block financial transactions and deny entry into the US.

“This bill is about accountability, justice, and ensuring that US policy stands firmly against extremist violence and destabilisation,” said Lee in a public statement, following the announcement of the bill last week. 

“The surge in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is a humanitarian and moral crisis. By codifying these sanctions, we are making clear that the US supports peace and dignity for all people living in the region,” she added.

The past two years have seen a surge in Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fundamentalist and far-right government. The Biden administration have responded with sanctions on some of the most violent individuals, though the instability continues, largely overshadowed by news of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 6,000 wounded by Israeli violence since October of last year.

“Growing settler violence in the West Bank harms civilians, jeopardizes regional stability, and is a serious threat to US national security. President Biden’s Executive Order has been crucial in addressing the Netanyahu government’s failure to take action against those who instigate heinous acts of fear and hate, and it should become statute,” said Welch. 

The bill is unlikely to pass, given that its support almost exclusively consists of the left-wing minority of the Democratic Party. In addition, with President-elect Donald Trump due to take office next month, right-wing Israeli settlers in the West Bank are expected to see far more US support. Trump has indicated that he would support Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.

The legislation could, however, serve to raise awareness in Congress of the rise in Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.

According to international law, all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights are illegal.