Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Privileged Resolution Seeking Answers on West Bank Violence

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, joined Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in leading 20 of their Senate colleagues in introducing a 502B privileged resolution requiring the U.S. Department of State to report to Congress on the growing violence in the West Bank. Nine Americans have been killed in the West Bank in recent years, with many more having been detained, but none have received justice from either the Israeli or U.S. government.

The senators' resolution would require the State Department to provide information related to the investigations of the killings of U.S. citizens by violent Israeli settlers or Israeli security forces in the West Bank. It would also demand an assessment of the human rights situation in the West Bank, specifically in relation to the detention of Palestinian children.

"The violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is reaching an unprecedented level, and as a result more and more Americans and Palestinians are being killed and injured. These actions-and the Israeli government's lack of response to this violence-are unacceptable and threaten the long-term safety and security of the entire region," said Kaine. "Friends need to listen to each other, and my colleagues and I have repeatedly urged Israeli leaders to take firmer action to curtail illegal settlements in the West Bank, prosecute violent settlers, and protect Palestinian residents as well as American citizens living in or visiting the West Bank. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution to require the State Department to conduct a formal assessment and provide a report to Congress on the situation in the West Bank, in particular the safety and security of Americans."

The proposal draws upon Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which allows Congress to file a privileged resolution that, if passed, would require the State Department to provide information on any country receiving U.S. security assistance and that country's observance of internationally recognized human rights. After introduction, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has 10 days to consider it in committee, and if it fails to do so, the resolution can be called up for a vote on the Senate floor. If the resolution passes the Senate, the Trump-Vance Administration must submit the report within 30 days or most security assistance authorized to Israel would be prohibited. If the resolution passes, and following the receipt of the State Department report, Congress may consider any necessary changes to U.S. security assistance to that country considering the information received. If the Administration declines or fails to submit the required report, the Administration's decision would prompt the termination of certain covered security assistance programs for Israel.

In addition to Kaine, Van Hollen, and Sanders, the resolution was introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Peter Welch (D-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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