US lawmakers seek sanctions for Israel’s ‘E1’ West Bank settlement plan

A group of lawmakers in the United States Senate are seeking sanctions against facilitators of Israel’s controversial “E1” settlement programme.

The legislation, set to be introduced on Wednesday, calls for punitive actions against individuals and groups that support the settlement project, which would link the Ma’ale Adumim and other illegal Israeli settlements to occupied East Jerusalem.

The plan would completely sever East Jerusalem, long seen as the capital of a future Palestinian state, from the West Bank, while effectively cleaving the overall territory in two. The project, if completed, has been seen by supporters and detractors alike as a death blow to future Palestinian statehood.

Ten Democrats were expected to co-sponsor the bill, which was spearheaded by Chris Coons of ‌Delaware, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ruben Gallego of Arizona.

“As Palestinian civilians face a campaign of devastation and fear from violent extremist settlers, the United States must send a strong message that this behaviour is unacceptable and that it remains committed to freedom, security, prosperity and self-determination for all Israelis and Palestinians,” Coons said in a statement provided to the Reuters news agency.

The move is yet another indication of growing discontent among some US lawmakers over Israel’s policies towards the occupied Palestinian territory, including its genocidal war in Gaza and the state-backed expansion of illegal settlements across the West Bank, where settler pogroms, often under the protection of Israeli forces, has surged in recent years.

The criticism has been particularly acute among Democrats, who are seeking to take control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections in November. A handful of Republicans have also increasingly questioned the close ties between the US and Israel and the unconditional military aid provided by Washington.

Beyond Wednesday’s bill, a growing number of Democrats have voted to block arms transfers to Israel in recent months. More than 20 Democrats in the 100-member Senate also recently introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into surging West Bank violence, in which at least nine US citizens have been killed.

‘Unacceptable and destructive act’

Criticism of the E1 settlement project, short for “East 1”, the Israeli administrative name for the area, escalated last month when the Israeli government invited bids for building 1,200 new units.

The move has come shortly before Israel is set to hold elections in October and is considered by some analysts to be an effort to mobilise the right-wing base of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyu by provoking an international response. The project has been spearheaded by far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself from an illegal settlement.

Among those condemning the plan was UK Foreign Minister Ed Miliband, who has called the project an “unacceptable and destructive act”. Countries across the Middle East, North America and Europe have also voiced strong objections.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has described the E1 project as a “grave and unlawful step to consolidate annexation”.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, for its part, has not directly addressed the plan, instead reiterating opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank.