US Senate blocks measure demanding report on rights violations in West Bank

The US Senate has blocked a measure that would have required the President's administration to report to Congress on increasing violence in the occupied West Bank. The procedural vote, which was held along mostly party lines, was 47 to 51 against the resolution.

The resolution, led by Democrat Chris Van Hollen, aimed to force the State Department to report on the deaths of nine American citizens killed by Israeli settlers or security forces in the occupied West Bank since 2022, according to The Guardian US. It also sought to report on wider human rights conditions in the territory, including Israel's detention of Palestinian children.

The measure was made possible under section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act, a law that lets senators demand human rights reports on countries receiving US military aid. It had 24 Democratic sponsors, including Bernie Sanders and Jeanne Shaheen. Senator Van Hollen expressed disappointment, stating that "it's clear the United States must do more."

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, The Guardian US, Haaretz — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.