Pro-Israel Democrats decry settler violence in West Bank amid attacks on Palestinians

Pro-Israel Democrats decry settler violence in West Bank amid attacks on Palestinians Aipac-backed lawmakers denounce ‘extremist’ violence in West Bank as support for Israel becomes a political liability As Israeli settlers ramp up violent attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank , often as Israeli forces stand by, denunciations are mounting in the US, even from Democratic legislators and public figures who are typically staunch defenders of Israel. In recent days, dozens of settlers have torched homes and vehicles and attacked Palestinians in apparently coordinated attacks . Since the start of the month, Israeli settlers and police have killed at least 10 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, including two young brothers and their parents as they returned from a Ramadan shopping trip. Ritchie Torres , a New York Democratic representative and one of Israel’s staunchest advocates in Congress, wrote in a statement this week that “the crisis of extremist settler violence in the West Bank must be confronted, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law”. He called for “zero tolerance for violent extremism, no matter what form it takes”. Torres is facing re-election, and his opponents have made his support for Israel a central part of their campaigns. Daniel Goldman, another pro-Israel Democratic representative seeking re-election in New York, also condemned the violence, which he called an “outrage”. He urged Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, to bring to a vote proposed legislation seeking to impose sanctions against those “undermining prospects for a two-state solution by committing illegal violent acts”, and criticized the Trump administration for rescinding sanctions against a number of violent settlers that the US government issued under Joe Biden. “This violence is anti-democratic and unacceptable,” Goldman wrote. “The Israeli government must hold those responsible accountable, as the rule of law requires.” Torres a...