J Street Welcomes the Stop the Settlements Act

Washington, DC – The Stop the Settlements Act, introduced today by Representatives Joaquin Castro, Madeleine Dean, Don Beyer, Greg Casar, Sara Jacobs, and Veronica Escobar, along with over 30 original cosponsors, would sanction entities that support or facilitate the construction of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank or Gaza, as well as existing settlements and outposts that threaten the viability of a Palestinian state. It would also ban the import of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. In response to its introduction, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami issued the following statement: 

“For more than 50 years, American and international leaders have opposed Israel’s settlement expansion, creeping annexation of the West Bank and efforts to permanently deny Palestinians their right to freedom and self-determination. 

Friends of Israel, including J Street, have warned successive governments that deepening the occupation and expanding settlements threaten Israel’s security and its ability to maintain the state’s democratic character and Jewish identity.

American leaders have also warned that these actions are deeply destabilizing and threaten US interests in the Middle East. 

Those warnings have gone unheeded, and the Netanyahu government has approved the establishment of 104 new West Bank settlements in just three years.

The Stop the Settlements Act is an important step toward giving meaning to America’s longstanding opposition to settlement expansion by backing up its words with action.

We remain deeply committed to Israel’s security as well as to Palestinian self-determination and continue to believe that those goals are mutually reinforcing.

We commend the sponsors of this legislation for reinforcing the distinction between supporting the State of Israel and opposing the occupation and settlement expansion beyond the Green Line. We urge Congress to adopt this legislation and help prevent Netanyahu, Smotrich and the settlement movement from perpetuating indefinite conflict and foreclosing the possibility of Palestinian statehood and peace.”