US bill targeting Israeli settlements in West Bank, Gaza gains 53 co-sponsors

Support is growing for Rep. Joaquin Castro's Stop the Settlements Act, which targets Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. As of this week, the bill has 53 co-sponsors, including high-profile figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ro Khanna. The Stop the Settlements Act, introduced on October 1, aims to halt the construction of new settlements and the expansion of existing Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank and Gaza through sanctions and a prohibition on importing goods made in these settlements and outposts. The bill claims that ending settlement construction would protect Palestinians from land dispossession and help create a pathway to peace. It specifically calls for sanctions on any individual determined to be complicit in settlement construction on or after September 30, 2026, or in the construction of settlements in E1. The bill would also prohibit the import of all goods produced in any Israeli settlements or outposts in the West Bank or Gaza. The article notes that the continual reference to Jewish settlements in Gaza is striking, given there have been no established Israeli civilian settlements there since 2005. The bill has garnered support from left-wing anti-Israel groups such as J Street and the New Jewish Narrative.