{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2026/09/11/bennet-schiff-schumer-booker-colleagues-demand-netanyahu-immediately-crack-down-on-settler-violence-in-west-bank-and-protect-u-s-citizens/", "Bennet, Schiff, Schumer, Booker, Colleagues Demand Netanyahu Immediately Crack Down on Settler Violence in West Bank and Protect U.S. Citizens", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Denver \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and 44 Senate Democratic colleagues to demand that Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu take immediate actions to address surging Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, including Palestinian-Americans, in the West Bank. The senators also called on the Israeli government to complete investigations into the deaths of nine American citizens who Israeli settlers or security forces have killed in the West Bank in recent years.\n\n\u201cWe urge you to take measures to prevent and intercede in this violence, establish a credible mechanism to investigate violations of law, and to make clear that the Government of Israel will not tolerate violence by its people, just as it does not tolerate violence against its people,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\n\u201c[\u2026] continued settlement expansion and fighting in the West Bank will harm Israel\u2019s long-term security and the prospects for lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike,\u201d continued the senators.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously expressed their opposition to annexation of and violence in the West Bank, which the Israeli government has failed to address.\n\n\u201cLike you, the safety and security of our constituents is of paramount importance. We urge your government to ensure that Americans in the Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank are able to enjoy the security and protection of property to which they are entitled. We also hope to see the conditions improved so that Israelis and Palestinians may one day live in peace with each other without the fear of terrorism or lawless violence,\u201d concluded the senators.\n\nFurthermore, the senators called for those responsible for such violent acts to be investigated and held accountable.\n\nBennet has consistently opposed Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and urged action by both the Trump and Netanyahu administrations to stop the surge in Israeli settler violence in the West Bank.\n\nIn April 2026, Bennet voted to restrict certain arms sales to Israel, saying: \u201cI have made clear that I will not vote to provide a single cent to support Trump\u2019s war with Iran. In this case, that means opposing the sale of weapons that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would use to prosecute a regional war he launched with Trump.\u201d\n\nIn March 2026, Bennet joined a letter pressing the Trump administration for an investigation into the death of Nasrallah Abu Siyam, an American citizen who was shot and killed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers.\n\nIn August 2025, Bennet joined colleagues to introduced the West Bank Violence Prevention Act, which would o deter and prevent destabilizing violence in the West Bank by authorizing the imposition of sanctions on individuals who commit acts of violence that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the region. Bennet introduced this legislation after the Trump administration revoked U.S. sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.\n\nIn addition to Bennet, Schiff, Schumer, and Booker, U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai\u2019i), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2019i), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the most recent letter to Netanyahu.\n\nThe text of the letter is available HERE and below.\n\nDear Mr. Prime Minister,\n\nWe write in shared concern and opposition to the growing levels of violence in the West Bank. Many of us have previously expressed to President Trump that continued settlement expansion and fighting in the West Bank will harm Israel\u2019s long-term security and the prospects for lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.\n\nIncidents of fatal violence by settlers have reportedly already surpassed 2025 levels and continue to increase. The last few weeks alone saw a significant surge in violence on both sides, resulting in a large-scale response by Israeli security forces, mass arrests of Palestinians, and reported attacks by settlers on mosques. We urge you to take measures to prevent and intercede in this violence, establish a credible mechanism to investigate violations of law, and to make clear that the Government of Israel will not tolerate violence by its people, just as it does not tolerate violence against its people.\n\nWe write particularly on behalf of American citizens who have been killed or threatened in such violence. Many of us have heard first-hand from their families and other constituents who have themselves been threatened without cause by settlers. We have engaged the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and your embassy in Washington to ensure their protection and appreciate measures taken on their behalf, but a more significant response from your government is clearly needed. We ask for your personal and direct engagement and intervention in order to protect our constituents and their families.\n\nPresident Trump and Secretary of State Rubio have expressed their opposition to all violence in the West Bank and actions aimed at annexation, but those concerns have gone unaddressed. Now, we urge you to take the following actions:\n\nIssue clear directives to the Israeli Police and Israeli Defense Forces to prevent and intervene in harassment, threats, and actual use of violence, regardless of the perpetrators.\n\nEnsure that all those responsible for harassment, threats, and violence against Palestinians, including Palestinian-Americans, are held accountable through a transparent and credible process. This includes completing investigations into and ensuring accountability for the deaths of nine American citizens who have been killed by settlers or security forces in the West Bank since 2022.\n\nStop approving additional settlements and stop allowing the construction of, and take steps to remove, illegal outposts in the West Bank.\n\nLike you, the safety and security of our constituents is of paramount importance. We urge your government to ensure that Americans in the Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank are able to enjoy the security and protection of property to which they are entitled. We also hope to see the conditions improved so that Israelis and Palestinians may one day live in peace with each other without the fear of terrorism or lawless violence.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2026/09/11/bennet-schiff-schumer-booker-colleagues-demand-netanyahu-immediately-crack-down-on-settler-violence-in-west-bank-and-protect-u-s-citizens/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4899610541760921, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}