Pressure is mounting on Israel to scrap its plans to expand settlements in the West Bank ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
The Israeli prime minister has authorised steps that would make it easier for Israeli settlers to buy land in the occupied West Bank, while granting Israel broader powers in an area the Palestinians see as the heartland of a future state.
Eight U.S. Democratic senators on Tuesday urged Trump to oppose the settlements, which they said would go against the country’s longstanding policy on the issue, as well as the president’s own position.
The group’s statement reads: “We have long expressed our concern that these reckless moves make the possibility of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, further out of reach.
“We urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse course. When President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, we also urge the president to clearly reinforce the opposition of the U.S. government to Israeli government actions that set the conditions for irreversible annexation.”
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