US House Democrats to introduce sanctions bill targeting Israeli settlement expansion

Six US House Democrats are set to introduce legislation Thursday that would impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in building or expanding Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Representatives Joaquin Castro, Madeleine Dean, Don Beyer, Greg Casar, Sara Jacobs and Veronica Escobar are sponsoring the Stop the Settlements Act.

The legislation would seek to halt the construction of new settlements and the expansion of existing Israeli settlements and outposts through targeted sanctions and a prohibition on the importation of goods produced in the settlements and outposts.

Supporters of the bill say the proposed measures are intended to prevent the further displacement of Palestinians and preserve a pathway toward a political settlement in which Israelis and Palestinians can exercise self-determination.

Castro, one of the bill's sponsors, criticized the Israeli government and settlement activity in the West Bank.

"Under (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's government, settlers are engaged in a violent land grab that's ripping Palestinians from their land," he said in a statement.

He described the continued expansion of Israeli settlements as a major obstacle to peace and called for Congress to use sanctions as a tool to address settlement construction.

"Democrats must face this with urgency—act now or watch the prospect of Palestinian self-determination slip away forever," Castro said.