Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen (Screenshot/Twitter)
The lawmakers accused the two ministers of ‘inflammatory rhetoric’ that amounted to an ‘incitement to violence.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Close to 90 Congressional Democrats signed a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to sanction Israeli lawmakers.
The letter accused Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of allegedly promoting settler violence.
The lawmakers accused the two ministers of “inflammatory rhetoric” that amounted to an “incitement to violence.”
“Given their critical roles in driving policies that promote settler violence, weaken the Palestinian Authority, facilitate de facto and de jure annexation, and destabilize the West Bank, we urge you to sanction Finance Minister (Bezalel) Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir,” they wrote.
The letter was signed by Democratic lawmakers—17 in the Senate and 71 in the House of Representatives—in October, prior to Donald Trump’s victory in the November elections.
It is being made public now in an attempt to pressure the Biden Administration to sanction the government ministers before Joe Biden leaves office in January.
The letter accused Smotrich of pushing for the annexation of Judea and Samaria and approving the building of thousands of settler homes in the area.
They alleged that Ben Gvir had ignored violence against Palestinians, advocating for increased construction in settlements.
The letter indicated that the policies, behavior, and language of the two ministers were directly responsible for settler violence against Palestinians.
The White House has not yet responded to the letter.
Although the Biden Administration has been highly critical of Smotrich and Ben Gvir, it has not yet imposed sanctions on them.
The letter also advocated sanctions against Amana and Regavim, organizations that encourage and stimulate Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria and allegedly discourage Palestinian construction.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen said, “We do think that there’s a pretty short window for the Biden administration to take this action.”
“We see President-elect Trump’s nominations, and we think it’s more important than ever that President Biden right now state that the United States is not going to be a rubber stamp to the Netanyahu government’s extreme actions (in Judea and Samaria).”
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