Democratic Senators Urge Netanyahu to Halt West Bank Housing

A group of 29 Democratic senators, led by Senator Ruben Gallego, is demanding that Benjamin Netanyahu rescind tenders for a housing development in the West Bank's E1 area east of Jerusalem. The project, opened for bidding by the Israel Ministry of Construction and Housing on August 18, consists of seven residential compounds totaling 1,234 housing units with a bidding deadline of October 19.

Lawmakers argue that construction in the E1 area would isolate East Jerusalem from Bethlehem and Ramallah, which they claim jeopardizes the prospects for a two-state solution. In addition to the request for Netanyahu to halt the project, the senators urged the Trump administration to implement targeted sanctions against individuals and entities to stop settler violence and settlement expansion.

These demands emerge amid existing friction between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding a Gaza peace plan. The proposed plan would require the Israeli military to withdraw from Gaza, a condition Netanyahu opposes unless the move involves "the complete disarmament of the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas."