Democrats Introduce Stop the Settlements Act
A group of six Democrats in the US House of Representatives plans to roll out a bill on Thursday that would target with sanctions those responsible for building or enlarging Israeli settlements and outposts located in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The sponsors are Joaquin Castro, Madeleine Dean, Don Beyer, Greg Casar, Sara Jacobs and Veronica Escobar. Known as the Stop the Settlements Act, the proposal would additionally bar goods made in those settlements and outposts from being brought into the country.[S1]
Backers of the bill argue that the sanctions and import ban are designed to stop the further displacement of Palestinians and to protect the possibility of a political settlement in which both Israelis and Palestinians can exercise self-determination. The legislation targets both new settlement construction and the expansion of existing ones.[S1]
Castro Criticizes Settlement Activity
Sponsor Joaquin Castro spoke out against the Israeli government and against settlement building in the West Bank. According to Castro, settlers under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration are engaged in a violent seizure of land that pushes Palestinians off it. He characterized the continued growth of Israeli settlements as a serious barrier to peace, and he called on Congress to employ sanctions as a means of pushing back against settlement construction.[S1]
Castro also called on Democrats to act with urgency, warning that without action the prospect of Palestinian self-determination could disappear permanently. The bill's introduction marks a direct legislative challenge to settlement policies and sets up a potential debate over US leverage in the conflict.[S1]
