The resolution, introduced by Senators Van Hollen, Kaine and Sanders, asks the State Department to report to Congress on a 'pattern of violence' in the West Bank, including the deaths of nine U.S. citizens since 2022. If adopted, the measure would require unclassified statements on investigations into those killings and an assessment of Palestinian human rights conditions, including the detention of children. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has 10 days to act; if the measure advances, the administration would have 30 days to deliver the report or most U.S. military aid to Israel could be paused.
U.S. Senators Demand State Department Report on West Bank Violence After Nine Americans Killed
US Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) questions US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. (photo credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Several U.S. senators introduced a resolution on Monday asking the State Department to report to Congress on what they describe as a 'pattern of violence' in the West Bank, including the deaths of nine U.S. citizens since 2022. The measure was filed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The proposed resolution would require the State Department to publish unclassified statements about any investigations into the killings of U.S. citizens by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli Border Police, or Israeli civilians in the West Bank. It also asks for a broader assessment of human rights conditions affecting Palestinians in the territory, including specific review of the circumstances surrounding the detention of Palestinian children.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has 10 days to consider whether to advance the resolution. If the committee approves the measure and it is enacted, the administration would have 30 days to deliver the requested report to Congress; failure to comply could trigger a pause in most U.S. military assistance to Israel.
Palestinian children play volleyball on a makeshift court amid rubble in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of northwest Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on September 15, 2026. They built the court among destroyed homes, using rubble from houses demolished by Israeli airstrikes. (credit: Mohammed Abosalama / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Bernie Sanders: "Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank experience horrific violence at the hands of Israeli settlers and security forces. For years, the Israeli government has offered impunity instead of accountability. Enough is enough. The United States cannot keep bankrolling this violence and looking the other way — it's time to end our complicity, once and for all."
Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the resolution reflects growing concern that American citizens killed in the West Bank have not received justice or accountability.
Sen. Tim Kaine: "The violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is reaching an unprecedented level. As a result, more Americans and Palestinians are being killed and injured. These actions — and the Israeli government's lack of response — are unacceptable and threaten long-term stability in the region."
Photographs accompanying the legislators' statements show Palestinian children playing volleyball on a makeshift court amid rubble in the Al-Nasr neighborhood of northwest Gaza City on Sept. 15, 2026. The court was built from debris left by homes destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. (Credit: Mohammed Abosalama / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
This resolution comes amid rising scrutiny in Congress over civilian casualties and settler violence in the West Bank and reflects bipartisan pressure for greater accountability and transparency from both U.S. and Israeli authorities.
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