WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The U.S. 
Senate has rejected a Democratic-led resolution that would have compelled the State Department to report on violence and human rights conditions in the occupied West Bank, including Israel’s killing of nine American citizens.
The measure, introduced by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland under Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act, was defeated 47-51 on Tuesday. 
It would have required the State Department to submit findings within 30 days on the deaths of nine Americans and broader abuses, including the detention of Palestinian children.
Van Hollen said the outcome showed the need for greater scrutiny of the treatment of U.S. citizens in the West Bank, stating Washington has a responsibility to ensure recipients of U.S. taxpayer-funded assistance comply with U.S. laws.
“While I was pleased that so many of my Democratic colleagues joined this effort, it’s clear the United States must do more,” he said. “It is our responsibility to ensure recipients of U.S. taxpayer dollars act in line with our laws and our values – this resolution was an opportunity to shed light on a reality that flies in the face of that principle.”
The nine Americans cited include Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old from Florida killed by Israeli settlers in July 2025, and Khamis Ayyad, an Illinois father of five who died after a settler attack in the village of Silwad. 
The list also includes two 17-year-olds, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar and Muhammad Khdour, killed in separate incidents in 2024; Turkish-American activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, killed by Israeli forces that year; and Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed in 2022.
The vote came amid continued concern over settler violence and displacement. Human Rights Watch reported in August that settler attacks had fully or partially displaced 107 Palestinian communities, involving about 5,900 people, since January 2023. 
UN data shows displacement during the first four months of 2026 already exceeded the total recorded for all of 2025.
The failed resolution follows growing debate in Congress over U.S. policy toward Israel, with Democratic senators introducing or supporting measures seeking greater scrutiny of Israeli settlement terrorism and U.S. military assistance.
Since October 2023, the occupied West Bank has experienced a rise in terrorism by the Israeli army and settlers. More than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed by settlers over the past three years, drawing near-unanimous international condemnation.