Rep. Panetta, Lawmakers Urge Netanyahu to Contain Settler Violence & Protect Communities in the West Bank

Monterey, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined Reps. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) and Eugene Vindman (VA-07) in sending a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging his government to take immediate steps to contain settler violence in the West Bank.

“We write with urgent concern regarding the growing outbreak of extremist settler violence in the West Bank, including violence that has killed and threatened American citizens,” wrote the lawmakers. “We do so out of concern for Israel’s long-term security as well as for the safety of Palestinians. Continued settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank will harm that security and the prospects for lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” 

“Amidst this violence, we are especially concerned for the safety of American citizens in the West Bank,” continued the lawmakers. “Nine American citizens have been killed in the West Bank since January 2022. To date, no one has been held accountable for any of these nine deaths. Many of us have heard directly from constituents, including American citizens who have themselves been threatened or harassed by settlers without cause.” 

“Restoring the rule of law in the West Bank serves the security of Israelis and Palestinians alike,” concluded the lawmakers. “The safety of our constituents matters to us as the safety of your citizens matters to you. We also hope to see conditions improve so that Israelis and Palestinians may one day live alongside one another without fear of terrorism or lawless violence.” 

In the letter, the lawmakers requested that the Israeli government take the following actions to uphold the rule of law and end the violence in the West Bank:

• Instruct the Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces to defend Palestinian communities in the West Bank when they come under attack, and to apply that standard consistently, whoever the attackers are.
• Establish a transparent and credible mechanism to investigate and prosecute violence against Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans, and complete the pending investigations into the deaths of the nine American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022.  
• Halt further settlement approvals and continue to take steps to remove illegal outposts in the West Bank. 

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:

We write with urgent concern regarding the growing outbreak of extremist settler violence in the West Bank, including violence that has killed and threatened American citizens. As members of the U.S. House of Representatives, we have been paying close attention to the security situation in the region, and write to urge you to take steps to contain West Bank violence and hold perpetrators accountable. We do so out of concern for Israel’s long-term security as well as for the safety of Palestinians. Continued settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank will harm that security and the prospects for lasting peace, prosperity, and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

Since the beginning of your government in 2022, settler violence in the West Bank has grown at a rapid pace. The number of attacks by Israeli settlers, including those against Palestinians and Israeli security forces, rose 27% in 2025, according to data recorded by the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency. On top of this significant increase, serious incidents of settler violence rose 63% during the first half of 2026, as compared to the same period in 2025. According to the United Nations, 1,122 Palestinians, including both combatants and civilians, were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between October 7, 2023 and July 24, 2026, the vast majority of them by Israeli forces. That is roughly the same number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank during the preceding eighteen years, from 2005 through 2022. Since the beginning of 2023, 67 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank. Since January of 2023, settler violence has displaced 107 communities in the West Bank, affecting approximately 6,000 Palestinians.

Israeli settler attacks have made daily life unsafe for Palestinians across large parts of the West Bank. Palestinian schools have been destroyed, Palestinian farmers have described being beaten and driven from land that Israeli settlers are trying to seize, and many Palestinian families have had their movements restricted or fences built around their homes by settlers. Since the beginning of 2026, the United Nations has documented more than 1,380 settler-related incidents across over 250 Palestinian communities, an average of about 6.6 per day.

Amidst this violence, we are especially concerned for the safety of American citizens in the West Bank. On August 29, 2026, masked Israeli settlers attacked an NBC News team and the Palestinian woman they were interviewing in the village of Jalud. Three crew members and the woman were beaten with sticks and struck with rocks, and an NBC correspondent was treated at a clinic. Nine American citizens have been killed in the West Bank since January 2022. To date, no one has been held accountable for any of these nine deaths. Many of us have heard directly from constituents, including American citizens who have themselves been threatened or harassed by settlers without cause.

This lack of accountability has come alongside continued settlement expansion. In March 2026, your government approved approximately 50 million shekels for illegal outposts, funding that has been used for all-terrain vehicles, night-vision goggles, and drones. Israeli soldiers have reportedly stood by during settler attacks without intervening, and in some cases are reported to have taken part in them. Accountability remains rare. According to the Israeli organization Yesh Din, 93.6% of all investigation files they monitor concerning ideologically motivated offenses committed by Israelis against Palestinians in the West Bank (“settler violence”) opened by the Israel Police since 2005 ended without an indictment.

As you know, the 20-point peace plan, which your government agreed to, includes language stating that “While Gaza re-development advances and when the PA reform programme is faithfully carried out, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.” Continued violence against Palestinians in the West Bank undermines a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, makes it far more difficult to reform the Palestinian Authority, and undermines the integrity and efficacy of the 20-point peace plan as a whole.

Condemnation of the attacks in the villages of Qusra and Jalud is an important first step, but it must be matched by action, and the description of those responsible as a “handful of rioters” is difficult to square with the pattern that Israel’s own former security leadership has documented. We welcome news of your order that some settler outposts in the West Bank be dismantled, and ask that your government carry out these orders quickly and commit to dismantling all illegal outposts and settlements. In June 2026, more than 200 prominent Israelis wrote to your government urging action to address violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The signatories included two former prime ministers, more than three dozen retired generals, and the former heads of Israel’s foreign and domestic intelligence services. We urge you to listen to their and our concerns and to take action to end West Bank violence. Failure to do so risks further destabilization and violence in the West Bank, wider instability in the Middle East, and harm to the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Accordingly, we respectfully request that your government take the following steps:

1. Instruct the Israeli Police and the Israel Defense Forces to defend Palestinian communities in the West Bank when they come under attack, and to apply that standard consistently whoever the attackers are.

2. Establish a transparent and credible mechanism to investigate and prosecute violence against Palestinians, including Palestinian Americans, and complete the pending investigations into the deaths of the nine American citizens killed in the West Bank since January 2022.

3. Halt further settlement approvals and continue to take steps to remove illegal outposts in the West Bank.

Restoring the rule of law in the West Bank serves the security of Israelis and Palestinians alike. The safety of our constituents matters to us as the safety of your citizens matters to you. We ask that your government ensure that Americans living in or visiting the Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank receive the security and the protection of property to which they are entitled. We also hope to see conditions improve so that Israelis and Palestinians may one day live alongside one another without fear of terrorism or lawless violence.

Sincerely,

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