Senate Rejects Bid to Link U.S. Aid to Israel With Human Rights Conditions

The U.S. Senate overnight Tuesday into Wednesday rejected a proposal to bring a resolution on Israel's human rights practices in Judea and Samaria to the Senate floor, according to a report in Israel Hayom.

The proposal called for conditioning U.S. aid to Israel on a requirement for "proper conduct in these territories." The measure was rejected after it failed to secure the majority needed to move the resolution from the Foreign Relations Committee to the full Senate. Fifty-one senators opposed the proposal, while 47 supported it.

It should be noted that Republicans hold the Senate majority, with 53 senators. The Democratic minority consists of 45 official Democratic senators and two independent senators, who usually vote with them.

As noted, the proposed resolution was intended to require the State Department to provide Congress with detailed information about the human rights situation in Judea and Samaria, including the circumstances surrounding the deaths and arrests of American citizens. Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen initiated the move amid growing concerns over violence against Palestinians and foreign nationals in the area.

According to the report, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted against the proposal, while Republican Sen. Rand Paul supported it. Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Dan Sullivan did not participate in the vote.

In a floor speech, Van Hollen, who introduced the proposal, said that nine American citizens had been killed in Judea and Samaria over the past four years. Van Hollen attributed the deaths to "violent Israeli settlers" or members of the Israeli security forces, and argued that the Netanyahu government bears responsibility for this violence. Opponents of his proposal firmly rejected his claims.