178 Democratic lawmakers from the US House of Representatives signed a letter warning the Israeli government not to annex any parts of Judea, Samaria, or Gaza, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Reps. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) led the other 176 lawmakers in drafting and signing the letter.
The letter states: “We are convinced that unilateral steps by either side, including Israeli annexation of territory in the West Bank or Gaza, would move Israelis and Palestinians further away from negotiations and further away from a just, sustainable peace. We are particularly troubled by increasing public calls to unilaterally annex West Bank territory.”
“Moves toward annexation would undermine Israel’s progress on normalization, prevent international cooperation to rebuild Gaza after this devastating war, risk instability in Jordan and even further strain ties with key European partners,” it continued.
Only 35 House Democrats did not sign the letter. The ranks of the Congressmen who did not sign the letter include some of Israel's strongest defenders in the Democratic Party, such as New York Rep. Ritchie Torres.
Some Israeli officials, such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvirm have raised the possibility of applying sovereignty in Judea and Samaria in response to the unilateral move by multiple countries, including France, the UK, Canada, and Australia, to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state even though Hamas continues to rule the Gaza Strip and continues to hold 48 hostages captive in Israel.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera today that Israel is not considering applying sovereignty to all of Judea and Samaria, but to the Israeli communities in the region that are not under the rule of the Palestinian Authority.