Democratic Lawmakers Urge Legislation to Tackle Settler Violence in West Bank

November 12, 2025 News
Activists demonstrate against Jewish settler violence in South Hebron Hills. (Photo: Standing Together Twitter Page)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Citing the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the lawmakers said illegal settler violence “increased an estimated 30%” over the first few months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.

One hundred Democratic members of the US Congress have urged House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul to introduce a bill to combat violence by illegal Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

“We write to request you schedule a markup for H.R. 3045, the West Bank Violence Prevention Act in the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” the members wrote in a letter to McCaul.

“The West Bank Violence Prevention Act would codify and enshrine into law Executive Order 14115 of 2024, which sought to prevent acts of violence in the West Bank and to punish those who commit such acts,” the letter added.

Noting that extremist settler organizations continue to carry out violence in the occupied West Bank with impunity, the lawmakers explained that the legislation would enshrine the bill into law, which sought to prevent acts of violence in the West Bank and to punish those who commit such acts, regardless of their nationality.

Repealed by Trump

They pointed out that President Donald Trump repealed the Executive Order on the first day of his term, January 20, 2025.

“As a result, violent extremist organizations like the Palestinian group Lions’ Den and the Israeli settler group Hilltop Youth are no longer designated under the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List). With their assets no longer frozen, these groups continue wreaking terror in the West Bank unencumbered,” the members wrote.

UN Reports Sharp Increase in Settler Attacks across Occupied West Bank

Citing the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, they said settler violence “increased an estimated 30%” over the first few months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.

“As the ceasefire in Gaza continues to command attention in the region and around the world, it is incumbent upon us not to overlook the situation in the West Bank, which continues to deteriorate,” the lawmakers wrote.

American Citizens Injured

They emphasized that “Preventing acts of violence, which have killed and injured American citizens, is the most fundamental and basic step to help bring stability to the region.”

The lawmakers further stressed that the passage of the West Bank Violence Prevention Act “is an important effort by the United States Congress towards that goal, which begins with you scheduling a markup of this legislation.”

They hoped that the legislation “will help improve the reality on the ground for Israelis and Palestinians, in service of ultimately achieving a long-term peace through a negotiated and viable two-state solution.”

Ecocide as a Tool of Settler-Colonialism and Genocide: The People Charge Israel in Barcelona

Attacks by illegal settlers against Palestinians have escalated across the West Bank since Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza began in October 2023. At least 1,069 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,700 injured since then. In addition, more than 20,500 others have been detained, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

(PC, AJA)

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1 Comment

  1. You think the settlers are bad now? Just wait until the Jewish Nazis annex West Bank. Then all the illegal settler scumbags will be ” legal ” . Gvir and Smotrich are settlers. How did they get into the government??! And is it not a huge conflict of interest that illegal Zionist settlers are trying to legally annex someone else’s land? but they’re ” Jewish ” so they get away with anything they want.
    They should not be allowed to annex West Bank. It legitimises their illegal occupation.

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