Senate To Decide If Trump Admin Must Provide Public Details About Increasing West Bank Violence

Democratic senators announced their plan Thursday to introduce a privileged resolution seeking answers on increasing violence in the West Bank by the Israeli government.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Tim Kaine of Virginia, along with independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, announced their intent to require the State Department to report to Congress on the increased violence, including the killings of at least nine Americans in the region since January 2022, according to the resolution’s text. The three senators were joined by eight of their colleagues, including Democratic Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

The resolution stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has not been held accountable for the deaths of the nine Americans. Omar Assad, a 78-year-old U.S. citizen, was stopped at a checkpoint in the village of Jiljilya, dragged by Israeli soldiers out of his vehicle and died of a stress-induced heart attack while left lying on the ground with his hands bound behind his back, according to the resolution.

In 2024, two 17-year-old Americans were shot by Israelis while driving, according to the resolution. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was shot in the head in January 2024 by an Israeli settler, an off-duty Israeli police officer and an Israel Defense Forces soldier, while 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmad Alkhdour was fatally shot twice in the head by Israeli forces in February 2024.

“This Administration has said ensuring the safety and security of American citizens abroad is one of its highest priorities,” Van Hollen said in a press release. “And yet, as we’ve seen violence rise in the West Bank, American citizens have been killed time and again, and they have received no justice and no accountability. It’s past time we get answers on their deaths – and on the growing violent instability in the West Bank and the injustices facing Palestinian civilians on a daily basis.”