Forty-five of 47 Democratic members of the US Senate signed a joint letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, urging action to stop settler violence and mass arrests of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The letter, seen by Reuters, voiced deep concern over a recent rise in what it described as deadly settler violence and called for clear instructions to Israeli police and military forces to curb it.

The senators said violence in the West Bank had increased significantly in recent weeks, followed by large-scale Israeli security operations and the arrest of many Palestinians. They also cited allegations of attacks on mosques by settlers. The letter urged swift intervention and prevention of violence regardless of who committed it, and called for stronger investigations into the deaths of nine US citizens killed in the West Bank since 2022 by Israeli settlers or security forces.

The letter was jointly drafted by California Senator Adam Schiff, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. It also cited a recent shooting in which an Israeli man accompanying a group of Jewish settlers allegedly fired at civilians on Palestinian land, killing a 17-year-old and a 70-year-old man. The senators stressed effective and impartial action by Israeli security forces to protect civilians.