US representatives introduce bill sanctioning expanding Israeli settlements

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are ramping up pressure on Israel, introducing legislation to impose sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. The Stop the Settlements Act, led by Representatives Joaquin Castro, Madeleine Dean, Don Beyer, Greg Casar, Sara Jacobs and Veronica Escobar, would block new settlement construction or expansion through sanctions and a ban on importing goods made in settlements and outposts. “Under Netanyahu’s government, settlers are engaged in a violent land grab that’s ripping Palestinians from their land. Sanctions can help stop it,” US Representative Joaquin Castro wrote in a post on X. Settlers are driving Palestinians from their homes in a violent land grab. Sanctions can stop it. I'm introducing legislation—alongside Reps. Dean, Beyer, Casar, Jacobs, Escobar—that imposes sanctions against anyone looking to take Palestinian land in the West Bank or Gaza.… pic.twitter.com/fpEwgItaFM — Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) September 30, 2026