US Senate blocks resolution on Americans killed in West Bank

September 30, 2026 at 07:26 AM2 min

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The US Senate blocked a resolution that would have required the Trump administration to report on the killing of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank and Israel's treatment of Palestinian children in military detention. The resolution failed 47-53 on Tuesday, with senators voting largely along party lines. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, brought the measure to the floor, citing a lack of accountability from the Israeli and US governments.

Key Facts

The resolution failed 47-53 in the US Senate on Tuesday, with senators voting largely along party lines.
The resolution cited the deaths of nine American citizens in the occupied West Bank since January 2022, including journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.
Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the resolution, while Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, joined Democrats in supporting it.
The resolution was brought under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which allows individual members of Congress to demand a formal State Department report on human rights practices of any country receiving US security assistance.

Senate Vote

The resolution failed 47-53 on Tuesday, with senators voting largely along party lines. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against advancing the resolution, while Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, joined Democrats in supporting it. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, forced the vote under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The act allows individual members of Congress to demand a formal State Department report on the human rights practices of any country that receives US security assistance.

Resolution Demands

The resolution called for an unclassified report within 30 days of adoption. It would have detailed investigations into the deaths of the Americans, the treatment of US citizens held in Israeli prisons, and the conditions facing Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. The measure cited the deaths of nine American citizens in the occupied West Bank since January 2022, including Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist and Al Jazeera correspondent who was shot in the head and killed in May 2022 while reporting in the city of Jenin. It also included Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier in September 2024, and Sayfollah Kamel Musallet, who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in July 2025. The resolution also noted the arrests of several Palestinian-American children by Israeli forces.