Casten, Durbin, Van Hollen, DeLauro Release Statement on Trump’s Rescission of Biden’s West Bank Sanctions
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (D-Ill.), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) released the following statement regarding President Trump’s Rescission of President Biden’s Executive Order authorizing sanctions against any individual or entity involved in threatening peace, security, and stability in the West Bank. The lawmakers previously led an effort joined by over 80 members of Congress to urge the Biden Administration to make greater use of this authority, including sanctioning extremist members of the Netanyahu Government.
“As the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank faces a critical and precarious juncture, the United States must do everything in our power to support and preserve the ceasefire and its tenets, including the release of all hostages. Promoting stability in the West Bank is vital to both maintaining the current agreement and to protecting the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace. That’s why we supported President Biden’s actions to sanction individuals and entities – including both Israelis and Palestinians – who engaged in or facilitated violence that threatened the stability of the West Bank.
“President Trump’s decision to revoke this executive order is directly at odds with our, and his, stated goal of securing peace in the region. With extremists in the West Bank and within the Netanyahu government continuing to enable settler violence and enact annexationist policies, it is clear these sanction authorities were merited – and indeed, further sanctions are urgently needed. This move by President Trump will further destabilize what is already an incredibly tenuous situation and will damage the prospect of achieving peace, security, and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”
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