Senators Shaheen, Reed, Warner, Murray, Durbin, Schumer, Coons and Schatz Urge President Trump to Oppose Israeli Settlement Expansion in the West Bank

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader, Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, released a statement ahead of President Trump hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, days after the Israeli Security Cabinet advanced a policy to dramatically expand Israeli control and settlements in the West Bank.

“We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s decision to blatantly consolidate administrative control over and set the conditions to expand settlements into the West Bank.

“The Israeli government’s actions contravene decades of bipartisan United States policy, including that expressed by President Trump, which asserts the United States supports a two-state solution and that it is not in the U.S. national security interest to support annexation of the West Bank.

“We have long expressed our concern that these reckless moves make the possibility of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, further out of reach.

“We urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse course. When President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, we also urge the President to clearly reinforce the opposition of the U.S. government to Israeli government actions that set the conditions for irreversible annexation.”