Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) introduced a bill on Friday that would prohibit the United States from recognizing Israel’s application of sovereignty over, or what she has clearly stated as annexation of, the West Bank.
The Israeli Annexation Non-Recognition Act would also prohibit U.S. assistance to areas where Israel has applied sovereignty.
It is co-sponsored by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.).
“I want Palestinians and Israelis to have their human rights respected, their right to self-determination realized, and a future with peace, security, equality and justice,” said McCollum in a statement.
“Annexation is antithetical to these goals and will fuel instability, injustice and an abhorrent system of apartheid. This is an intolerable outcome for Palestinians, Israelis and Americans,” she said. “I reject Israeli annexation. I condemn annexation. And I will work to ensure the U.S. does not support, defend or legitimize any plan to illegally annex Palestinian lands.”
As part of a historic U.S.-brokered peace agreement last week to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the former agreed to temporarily suspend applying sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria.
McCollum said that the Israel-UAE agreement “changes nothing. [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump have taken nothing off the table. Their promises and commitments are worthless because they have both proven, time and time again, that they cannot be trusted.”
