DeLauro Calls for End to West Bank Settlements, Violence

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) issued the following statement on the ongoing siege of a Palestinian's family's home in Wadi Rahim, in the South Hebron Hills of the occupied West Bank:

"No family should be held captive in their own home. Yusuf Shanaran and his wife, and four of their children ages 8 to 13, have been trapped inside their house for two days. Settlers built an illegal outpost on the only road to the home and have kept them from leaving, even to get food. According to reports, masked settlers have set fire to four vehicles, burned the family's water pump, smashed their solar panels, attacked them and their home with stones, and attempted to set it on fire. Yusuf and his wife were injured.

"The illegal outpost was established about six months ago, and has been taken down and rebuilt again and again. About a month ago, the Israeli military declared the areas a closed military zone and barred Israelis from entering. The settlers have ignored that order, and the authorities have not enforced it. After this week's attack, no settler has been arrested.

"The Government of Israel has a responsibility to protect this family and their home. It must enforce its own military order and hold those responsible for violence accountable. The Trump Administration should press for that accountability and make clear that the United States opposes settler violence and the expansion of illegal settlements and outposts. These actions endanger Palestinians families, undermine Israel's own security, and push a two-state solution further out of reach.

"A just and lasting peace, with security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike, cannot be built while families live in fear in their own homes."