Cantwell Cosponsors Bill To Curb Violence Against Civilians In The West Bank

Cantwell Cosponsors Bill To Curb Violence Against Civilians In The West Bank

West Bank Violence Prevention Act would authorize sanctions & block visas against anyone engaging in terror, intimidation, or coercion; Violence by right-wing Israeli settlers in the region has spiked an estimated 30% so far in 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined nine of her colleagues in sponsoring the West Bank Violence Prevention Act, which aims to deter and prevent destabilizing violence against civilians in the West Bank.

The West Bank Violence Prevention Act would authorize the imposition of sanctions on those who commit acts of violence that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the region. The legislation seeks to reduce violence by requiring the President to block the visas and assets of foreign persons, regardless of nationality, engaging in violent extremist acts of terror, intimidation, and coercion against civilians in the West Bank.

The bill was originally introduced by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Michael Bennet (D-CO). Sen. Cantwell joins Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) as additional cosponsors.

According to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, as tensions have risen in the region, incidents of violence by extremist right-wing Israeli settlers have increased by an estimated 30 percent over the first few months of 2025. Biden-era sanctions, which this bill codifies, targeted both Palestinian and Israeli violent extremists. Violent incidents in the West Bank have led to the killing of civilians, including American citizens, the displacement of communities, and the destruction of private property, including agricultural lands that provide livelihoods. Such violence continues today and not only threatens the safety of civilians, but also greatly undermines the stability and security of the West Bank, Israel, and the region.

Separately, Sen. Cantwell joined 28 of her Democratic colleagues in the Senate in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for an investigation into the death of Palestinian-American Saifullah Kamel Musallet in the West Bank, as well as updates into the investigations of other deaths in the region, including 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi from Washington state.

Saifullah Kamel Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American from Florida, was visiting family near the West Bank town of Sinjil on July 11 when he was beaten to death by extremist Israeli settlers. He is the seventh American killed in the region since Jan. 1, 2022 - a list that also includes University of Washington student Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot and killed by Israeli military while observing a peaceful protest against illegal settlements in September.