Agencies-Gaza post
US lawmakers call Blinken to press Israel to cancel Masafer Yatta evictions
A set of US legislators on Thursday called Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to pressure the Israeli government to ban the upcoming displacements of over 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Before this month, Israel’s highest court supported an expulsion order involving some 1,200 Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, including some 500 children.
The court-supervised the Palestinians were not permanent residents of the land when it was designated a military discharge and training zone by Israel in 1981. Rights groups, however, assert some Palestinian families have lived in Masafer Yatta since before Israel captured the West Bank in 1967.
In their letter to Blinken, over 80 Democrats and independents from both chambers of Congress wrote that the removals could undermine efforts to reach a two-state solution.
“As supporters of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, we believe such evictions undermine our shared democratic values… and disregard Palestinian human and civil rights,” the letter said.
“We respectfully request that you immediately engage with the Israeli government to prevent these evictions and further military training exercises in the area,” the letter stated.
The US lawmakers added, “With President Biden visiting Israel in late June, it is critical that the administration respond quickly to ensure that this momentous trip can deliver concrete steps toward peace.”
Source: WAFA
