Record number of Dems vote to scrutinize Israeli violence in West Bank

Record number of Dems vote to scrutinize Israeli violence in West Bank

Every Senate Democrat but one voted to advance a resolution that would have forced the State Department to produce a report regarding violence against American citizens, as well as other Israeli violations of human rights, in the West Bank. With only Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), however, crossing party lines to support the measure, the resolution failed by a vote of 47-51. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has consistently been the lone Democratic holdout on a series of Iran war powers votes, once again broke with his party. Though the resolution ultimately failed, the vote count is nonetheless yet another sign of congressional Democrats’ rapid movement on questions regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship. When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), one of the co-sponsors of the bill voted on today, introduced similar legislation in January 2024, it failed by a vote of 72-11. Comparing this result to the vote two and half years ago, John Ramming Chappell, senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, said it was “remarkable that nearly every Democratic senator voted to scrutinize Israel’s human rights record.” The resolution was partly a response to nine American citizens who have been killed by Jewish settlers or Israeli security forces in the West Bank since the start of 2022, and for whom, in the words of Sen. Chris van Hollen (D-Md.), there has been “no accountability” and “no justice.” The Trump administration, notably its ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has occasionally spoken out against the violence but has made no policy changes to address it. “While the world’s attention has been on Gaza, this same government has been carrying out a slower, but no less brutal campaign in the West Bank. As of last month, the United Nations has documented more than 1400 incidents of settler violence this year alone,” Sanders said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “The Trump administration, rather than confronting this violence, has lifted sanctions on violent settlers. This violence does not even spare American citizens (...) Enough is enough. The United States cannot continue to bankroll this violence and look the other way,” he added. The vote was seen as a relatively easy one for Democrats to support, as far as bills critical of Israel are concerned. Had it passed, the legislation would not have automatically led to any policy changes, but rather forced the State Department to produce a report to shed light on human rights abuses. In addition, pro-Israel Democrats have typically been more likely to take votes against Israel when they concern policies in the West Bank as opposed to Gaza. Speaking to Responsible Statecraft shortly after the bill was introduced in late August, former State Department official Josh Paul, who resigned over the Biden’s administration’s Gaza policy, called rebukes of violent settlers in the West Bank “low-hanging fruit.” In advance of Tuesday’s vote, Demand Progress senior policy advisor Cavan Kharrazian said in a statement that the resolution was “a long-overdue first step” that “should be the bare minimum for any senator.” As the party gears up for election seasons where the U.S relationship with Israel is sure to play a central role, Chappell told RS events like these should send a signal. “This vote is a clear indication for Democratic presidential hopefuls that they will be expected to reevaluate the relationship with an emphasis on accountability and international law,” he said.