Top congressional Democrats have issued multiple public statements Thursday and Friday expressing their opposition to Israel’s plan to annex part of the West Bank. The pro-Israel organization AIPAC has publicly expressed its opposition to such statements, but some of the signatories include the lobby’s most prominent and longstanding Democratic allies.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sens. Bob Menendez and Ben Cardin, the top two Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and frequent guest speakers at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference, released a joint statement to Jewish Insider on Friday warning against annexation.
“As strong and dedicated supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship, we are compelled to express opposition to the proposed unilateral annexation of territory in the West Bank,” the statement began.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he may unilaterally begin the process of proclaiming sovereignty over parts of the West Bank as soon as July 1. The senators’ statement notes that Democrats have long opposed unilateral measures taken by both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and also claims that annexation would make Israeli-Palestinian peace less likely.
The Schumer press release followed a similar letter signed Thursday by at least 115 Democrats in the House of Representatives.
The congressional letter uses parallel language to the Schumer statement, arguing that “unilateral annexation puts both Israel’s security and democracy at risk” and “would have a clear impact on Israel’s future and our vital bilateral and bipartisan relationship.”
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