WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Jim Himes (CT-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51) and Dan Goldman (NY-10) led a total of more than 100 of their colleagues in urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately halt plans to demolish buildings, including private homes and a community center, in the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir. The Israeli government’s demolition orders follow years of settler violence against the village, including the killing of 31-year-old community leader and peace activist Awdah Hathaleen earlier this year.
“We are gravely concerned that any further actions by settlers, vigilantes or the government to destroy the village of Umm Al-Kheir will traumatize this peaceful community and jeopardize the prospect of long-term peace, mutual security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians at this critical moment,” Raskin, Nadler, Himes, Jacobs, Goldman and their colleagues wrote in a letter to Netanyahu.”
Umm Al-Kheir, a Bedouin shepherding community, has faced attacks and demolitions for years as Israeli settlements have encroached on the village.
“These demolitions would make vulnerable families homeless, including elderly people and children, just as the chill of winter descends on this desert community,” the lawmakers continued. “This action, in service of making room for more settlers, settlements, and land only for Israelis, would be cruel, unjustified, and in naked violation of international law.”
“This letter could not be more important,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. “I have visited the village of Umm al-Kheir numerous times and witnessed the impact of violence by Israeli settlers and the destructive bureaucracy of the occupation on the community. These families have already endured years of settler violence, land theft, and, most recently, the murder of community leader and nonviolent activist Awdah Hathaleen by a settler previously sanctioned by the U.S. The Israeli government must immediately halt all demolition orders to stop the forcible displacement of the village’s 300 residents and ensure that the people of Umm al-Kheir can live with safety and dignity.”
Umm Al-Kheir residents are still reeling from the July 28, 2015 killing of Awdah Hathaleen at the hands of an Israeli settler and vigilante. Hathaleen gained international attention for his work on the extraordinary Oscar-winning film No Other Land.
The letter is signed by 104 members of Congress including:
- Amo, Gabe
- Ansari, Yassamin
- Auchincloss, Jake
- Balint, Becca
- Barragán, Nanette
- Beyer, Donald
- Bonamici, Suzanne
- Brownley, Julia
- Budzinski, Nikki
- Carbajal, Salud
- Carson, André
- Carter, Troy
- Casar, Greg
- Casten, Sean
- Castro, Joaquin
- Chu, Judy
- Clarke, Yvette
- Cleaver, Emanuel
- Cohen, Steve
- Conaway, Herbert
- Courtney, Joe
- Crockett, Jasmine
- Crow, Jason
- Davis, Danny
- Dean, Madeleine
- DeLauro, Rosa
- DelBene, Suzan
- Deluzio, Christopher
- DeSaulnier, Mark
- Dexter, Maxine
- Dingell, Debbie
- Doggett, Lloyd
- Elfreth, Sarah
- Escobar, Veronica
- Evans, Dwight
- Foster, Bill
- Friedman, Laura
- Frost, Maxwell
- Garamendi, John
- Garcia, Robert
- Garcia, Sylvia
- Goldman, Daniel
- Gomez, Jimmy
- Green, Al
- Hayes, Jahana
- Himes, James
- Hoyle, Val
- Huffman, Jared
- Jackson, Jonathan
- Jacobs, Sara
- Johnson, Henry
- Johnson, Julie
- Kamlager-Dove, Sydney
- Kelly, Robin
- Kennedy, Timothy
- Khanna, Ro
- Larson, John
- Leger Fernandez, Teresa
- Liccardo, Sam
- Lofgren, Zoe
- Lynch, Stephen
- Magaziner, Seth
- Matsui, Doris
- McBride, Sarah
- McClellan, Jennifer
- McCollum, Betty
- McDonald Rivet, Kristen
- McGarvey, Morgan
- McGovern, James
- McIver, LaMonica
- Menendez, Robert
- Min, Dave
- Moore, Gwen
- Moulton, Seth
- Mullin, Kevin
- Nadler, Jerrold
- Norton, Eleanor
- Olszewski, Johnny
- Panetta, Jimmy
- Pettersen, Brittany
- Pingree, Chellie
- Pocan, Mark
- Quigley, Mike
- Randall, Emily
- Raskin, Jamie
- Rivas, Luz
- Ross, Deborah
- Salinas, Andrea
- Scanlon, Mary Gay
- Schakowsky, Janice
- Simon, Lateefah
- Smith, Adam
- Sorensen, Eric
- Takano, Mark
- Thompson, Bennie
- Thompson, Mike
- Tokuda, Jill
- Tonko, Paul
- Trahan, Lori
- Tran, Derek
- Vasquez, Gabe
- Velázquez, Nydia
- Watson Coleman, Bonnie
- Williams, Nikema
In September, Raskin wrote a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar opposing Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and seeking a just and sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,
As longtime supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship and of human rights and democracy all over the world, we write to express our urgent opposition to your government’s orders to demolish buildings, including private homes and the community center, in the West Bank village of Umm Al-Kheir. It is imperative that you immediately withdraw these demolition orders, which threaten not only the vulnerable residents of the village but further erosion of support for Israel across the US political spectrum at a time of profound concern about settler extremism in your country.
We are closely following events in Umm Al-Kheir, a Bedouin shepherding community that has faced violent attacks and demolitions for many years as Israeli settlements have expanded in the village’s immediate vicinity in the West Bank. We understand that the current demolition orders issued on October 28, 2025 target 13 structures, including homes and the village community center at the heart of social life there. These demolitions would make vulnerable families homeless, including elderly people and children, just as the chill of winter descends on this desert community. This action, in service of making room for more settlers, settlements, and land only for Israelis, would be cruel, unjustified, and in naked violation of international law.
The residents of Umm Al-Kheir are still reeling from the events of July 28, 2025, when a prominent 31-year-old community leader, peace activist, and father of three, Awdah Hathaleen, was shot and killed by an Israeli settler and vigilante. Hathaleen, who also served the community as a teacher, gained international recognition and acclaim for his work on the Oscar-winning film No Other Land. The settler who killed Hathaleen, Yinon Levi, had a well-documented history of attacking Palestinian civilians and destroying their farmland and other physical property, and was previously sanctioned by the United States for his role in attacks on Palestinians. Yet Levi was held by police for only one day after he shot Hathaleen and faced no criminal charges despite the fact that his deadly actions were caught on camera. Adding insult to fatal injury, properties now slated for demolition in Umm Al-Kheir include homes belonging to Hathaleen’s relatives.
We are gravely concerned that any further actions by settlers, vigilantes or the government to destroy the village of Umm Al-Kheir will traumatize this peaceful community and jeopardize the prospect of long-term peace, mutual security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians at this critical moment. Continuing injury of this brutalized community will come to haunt Israel itself in the form of international isolation and outrage. Once again, we urge you to immediately withdraw these demolition orders.
As supporters of Israeli democracy who have voted to defend your nation against its enemies and to warn it away from the path of settler extremism and fanaticism, we trust you will understand the importance and enormity of this matter. Please respond at your earliest convenience so we may consider next steps.
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