Palestinian families across the occupied West Bank are being driven from their homes and land by Israeli settler violence and expanding settlements. Armed Israeli settlers attack residents, burn homes and crops, steal livestock, and destroy water systems, stripping families of both safety and the means to sustain themselves. Israeli soldiers protect settlers, stand by during attacks, and, in documented cases, participate in violence and displacement. Together with home demolitions and restrictions on movement, these actions are uprooting Palestinian communities, enabling the takeover of their land, and undermining the possibility of a just and lasting peace.

The planned E1 settlement expansion east of Jerusalem poses a particularly grave threat. Israel has approved 3,401 housing units between East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. If completed, the project would sever Palestinian territorial contiguity and gravely threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state. Approximately 4,000 Palestinians in 18 nearby Bedouin and herding communities face the risk of forced displacement.

Urge your senators and representative to support two bills that would impose meaningful consequences on those who carry out and support settlement expansion:

• S. 5476 — Sanctions on E1 settlement construction: Introduced by Senator Chris Coons and Senate colleagues, this bill would require sanctions on foreign individuals and entities involved in E1 settlement construction, financing, supporting infrastructure, and the transfer of Israeli civilians into E1 settlements.

• H.R. 10642 — Stop the Settlements Act: Introduced by Representative Joaquin Castro, this bill would impose sanctions for specified activities supporting Israeli settlement construction and expansion in the West Bank or Gaza. It would also prohibit U.S. imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements and outposts.

Learn More and Take Action

This excerpt is from the UCCMPS October 2025 E-Newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here:
UCC MPS October E-News 2026