WASHINGTON—U.S. senators recently blocked a demand for answers about the killings of American citizens in the occupied West Bank, rejecting a motion to advance a resolution seeking a State Department report on Israeli human rights practices.
Forty-seven senators supported the motion, while 51 opposed it. Two did not vote. For advocates pressing for accountability, the outcome meant another setback in efforts to obtain information about Americans killed by Israeli settlers or security forces and Washington’s response to those deaths.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) led the effort to advance Senate Resolution 852, introduced Sept. 14 under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Senators Tim Kaine of Virginia (D) and Bernie Sanders of Vermont (I) also helped lead the initiative.
If adopted, the resolution would require the Secretary of State to provide an unclassified report to congressional committees within 30 days. The report would include information about the nine American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022, Americans held in Israeli prisons, and Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. More specifically, it would include:
- Nine Americans killed in the West Bank: Evidence about their killings by Israeli forces or settlers, the status of investigations, potential suspects, and efforts to hold those responsible accountable.
- Americans detained in Israeli prisons: Who is being held, why they are detained, whether they have been charged, access to U.S. Embassy officials, and credible reports of mistreatment.
- Palestinian children in military detention: Conditions, access to attorneys, allegations of torture and other abuses, and the individuals or units responsible.
- U.S. oversight and responsibility: What American officials have done to prevent violence and seek justice, and whether implicated Israeli units are subject to U.S. laws restricting assistance to units responsible for gross human rights violations.
Among the Americans named who were killed are Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Omar Assad and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. Resolution sponsors say the killings have not resulted in accountability. They also fault U.S. agencies for failing to open independent investigations in some cases or provide substantive information about existing investigations.
Before the vote, Sen. Van Hollen questioned the gap between Washington’s stated commitment to protecting Americans overseas and its response to violence in the West Bank.
“The United States government has repeatedly said that our number one priority overseas is to protect American citizens,” he said in a released statement.
“And yet, as violent Israeli settlers continue to terrorize civilians in the West Bank, American citizens have been killed time and again, in many cases with the complicity of the government of Israel, the Netanyahu government,” he said.
A demand for information
S.Res. 852 seeks evidence concerning the killings, updates on investigations, and details about steps taken by Israeli and U.S. officials to hold those responsible accountable. It also requests an assessment of detention conditions and credible reports of mistreatment.
Adoption would not immediately cut U.S. aid to Israel. However, failure to supply the required statement within the statutory period could trigger restrictions on covered security assistance. Section 502B(c) allows either chamber of Congress to request information by resolution; S.Res. 852 would not need to become a new law to invoke that requirement.
September’s vote concerned a motion to discharge the resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so the full Senate could consider it. It was not a vote on final adoption. With the discharge motion rejected, the measure remained in committee.
Support fell largely along party lines. Forty-four Democrats, both independents and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul voted yes. Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman joined 50 Republicans in voting no. Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Dan Sullivan did not vote.
Opponents framed the measure as a challenge to an ally confronting security threats. Reuters reported that Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines urged senators to reject it on grounds of supporting Israel against so-called “Iranian-backed terrorism.”
Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D) supported advancing the resolution. In a statement afterward, she said in part, “For the sake of Palestinians and Israelis, for the sake of peace and compassion, the violence we have witnessed in the West Bank must stop.
And there must be accountability for the perpetrators and justice for the victims. It is time to change course. My commitment to Israel’s right to exist and defend itself is unwavering, but I will always stand up to injustice and violence.”
Civil rights advocates press for answers
Amnesty International USA urged senators to support the resolution, calling for answers about the American deaths and Israeli human rights practices.
Following the vote, the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations praised Sens. Van Hollen and Alsobrooks. CAIR described the support of 47 senators as a political milestone, despite the motion’s defeat.
CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said the vote challenged the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, and organizations she accused of shielding Israel from accountability.
“Last night’s vote sends a powerful message to AIPAC and every organization working to shield the Israeli government’s crimes that the days of treating your approval as a prerequisite for defending human rights are ending.
We commend Senator Alsobrooks for standing with Senator Chris Van Hollen and 45 other colleagues who recognize their responsibility in demanding Israel not be exempt from accountability over its reprehensible human rights record,” she said in a Sept. 30 statement. “We thank her for listening to constituents and voting to demand answers denied to too many families.”
Although senators blocked the effort to advance the measure, questions about the killings and the U.S. government’s response remain unanswered for advocates demanding accountability.
“How many more Americans must die in the West Bank before this administration takes serious, credible steps to secure accountability?” Sen. Van Hollen asked.
Despite the defeat, Ms. Chaundry explained in her statement that the pressure will continue.
“Every senator who voted to strike down this resolution should explain why even a request for basic information was too much to support. Taxpayers have the right to demand oversight, and Palestinian children deserve protection. The political space for challenging Israeli impunity is growing, and our communities will keep organizing until accountability becomes policy.”
