EXCLUSIVE: Centrist Ruben Gallego Circulating Letter Pushing Trump to Investigate Israeli Settler Violence
The effort comes after Gallego and other Democrats have faced criticism for their responses to Israel’s US-backed genocide in Gaza.
Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego is leading an effort to push the Trump administration to investigate and punish those involved in settler violence against Palestinians and US citizens in the occupied West Bank.
The letter, led by a centrist Democrat, underscores how much of the party, especially the more moderate wing, is being pushed to evolve their stances as anger among Americans over Israeli settler violence and Israel's genocide in Gaza grows.
A source familiar with the effort says Gallego is collecting Senate signatures for the letter to be sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The letter, obtained by Zeteo, says that the Israeli settler attacks and settlers’ obstruction of humanitarian aid headed to Gaza “directly undermine the United States’ foreign policy interests, contribute to regional instability, and potentially constitute gross violations of human rights.” The letter cites the killing of Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old from Florida who was allegedly beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Sinjil, and the death of Khamis Ayyad, a 40-year-old who lived in Chicago, who died after an Israeli settler arson attack in the village of Silwad.
The letter urges the Trump administration to conduct a full review of individuals accused of obstructing aid to Gaza and those who have engaged in violent attacks on Palestinians and aid workers in the West Bank; to sanction those culpable; and to coordinate with Israeli authorities to “ensure accountability and prevent further disruption of humanitarian operations.”
The letter looks to Executive Order 13818 – signed by President Donald Trump in 2017 – which gives the US authority to sanction foreign individuals involved in “serious human rights abuses” and “corruption.” Former President Joe Biden had invoked the authority to sanction dozens of Israeli settlers and entities it said were involved in West Bank violence. Trump rolled back these sanctions immediately upon taking office. (One of those targets, Yinon Levi, allegedly went on to kill Awdah Hathleen, a crew member of the Oscar-winning film ‘No Other Land.’)
‘Always Evolving’
Gallego’s leadership of the letter marks another shift in moderate Democrats’ approach to Israel and Palestine. Just last week, while in Iowa, Gallego attracted criticism for an exchange he had with voters. At a public event, Gallego had said, “The people of Gaza are in this situation because Donald Trump is President.”
Members in the crowd pointed out that Biden was president during Israel’s war on Gaza, too.
Gallego responded: “Whatever, hey, this is your opinion, dude,” before continuing to discuss Israel’s wrongdoing and Republicans’ complete absence from responding to the devastation, despite being in total control of all three branches of government.
Also during his visit, Gallego said that while he had to miss the vote on Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to block arms sales to Israel, he would have voted against them. But, Gallego added, given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest announcements to take over Gaza and occupy Gaza City, he was now “re-evaluating” and will look at “conditioning aid going forward,” because “now it’s moved beyond ‘we’re just going to try and get the hostages back.’ Now, they are talking about a full occupation of Gaza, and that has been a red line for me, and I say that publicly, and so that does change the situation moving forward.”
Facing similar criticism at another town hall, Gallego repeated his new view that because of Netanyahu’s escalation, the US should condition its aid to Israel. “I think you’re unhappy with me and with the Democratic Party ... but my position has always kind of been evolving with the situation.”
A spokesperson with Gallego’s office said that they "can confirm the authenticity of this letter and that Senator Gallego is leading the effort."
‘Too Loud to Ignore’
Gallego’s letter follows a long string of similar efforts from more progressive members of Congress to stop Israeli violence in Palestine, including from Sens. Sanders, Peter Welch (Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), and Jeff Merkley (Ore.).
But the Arizona senator’s push to hold Israeli settlers accountable highlights the pressure Democrats across the party are facing to catch up to public and global opinion on the genocide in Gaza, especially as the death toll tops 61,000, starvation deaths rapidly accelerate, and Netanyahu's government shows no signs of wanting to end the war.
This week, Pete Buttigieg received massive backlash over his comments on ‘Pod Save America,’ in which the former transportation secretary had a convoluted response as to whether he believes it’s time to recognize a Palestinian state, and said, “I think that we, as Israel’s strongest ally and friend, you put your arm around your friend when there’s something like this going on and talk about what we’re prepared to do together.”
As Politico noted, Buttigieg had a similar go-to answer five years ago that caught no such mass backlash, and in fact got approval from the same ‘Pod Save America’ crew that interviewed him this week.
Buttigieg has since said he would’ve signed on to Sanders’ proposed arms embargo against Israel, would recognize Palestine as part of a two-state solution, and thought the US should not pass another 10-year agreement with Israel on foreign military aid unconditionally.
Last month, a majority of Senate Democrats opposed weapon sales to Israel, for the first time ever (every Republican voted against the Sanders-led resolutions, underscoring the right’s allegiance to Israel, even as it kills Americans).
Advocacy groups have picked up on the recent events and are hailing them as a harbinger of what’s to come.
“[A]s the realities of Israel’s forced starvation and mass killing have become impossible to deny, and the constant calls from constituents have become too loud to ignore, AIPAC is losing its sway in the Democratic Party,” the Reject AIPAC coalition said Thursday.
The coalition includes Justice Democrats, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, IfNotNow Movement, the Working Families Party, the Democratic Socialists of America, and more.
“As the Democratic Party looks towards regaining majorities in 2026 and 2028, it is clear that for many of its voters, an AIPAC endorsement will be a political liability,” they said. “The path forward for Democratic members even as a minority in Congress is clear: Stop arming the Israeli government, reject AIPAC, and return our democracy back to the people.”
Last week, Reps. Valerie Foushee and Maxine Dexter – two Democrats the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent more than $4 million boosting – announced their opposition to weapons transfers to Israel, with Foushee signing onto Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez’s “Block the Bombs” Act. Foushee also announced she would no longer accept AIPAC support or funds.
Ramirez’s bill now has 33 backers in Congress, while 20 members have signed onto California Rep. Ro Khanna’s effort to recognize a Palestinian state.
This week, just 14 Democrats went on an AIPAC-led trip to Israel, with just a third of the freshman class opting to go; that is a marked drop from the 24 who went on a similar trip two years ago.
The letter, obtained by Zeteo, reads:
Dear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Bessent:
We write to express our grave concern over reports that Israeli settlers (settlers) are obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and engaging in violent attacks against Palestinian civilians, including U.S. citizens, in the West Bank. These actions directly undermine the United States’ foreign policy interests, contribute to regional instability, and potentially constitute gross violations of human rights. We urge the Departments of State and Treasury to review these reports, conduct a speedy investigation, and if warranted, impose targeted sanctions under Executive Order 13818 on individuals found responsible.
The United Nations, humanitarian NGOs, and press outlets have documented cases in which settlers have blocked aid convoys bound for Gaza. In the West Bank, there have also been reports of settlers violently attacking Palestinian Americans, including the fatal beating of Sayfollah Musallet in Sinjil and the arson that led to the death of Khamis Ayyad in Silwad. Given the increasingly dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and ongoing violence in the West Bank, the U.S. must do more to ensure the safe distribution of aid and promote security and stability in these areas to prevent further conflict.
Executive Order 13818, which enacts and expands the authorities of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, gives the U.S. government authority to sanction foreign individuals involved in “serious human rights abuses” and “corruption.” It has been used globally and if justified, should be applied to hold perpetrators of settler violence and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid accountable.
The U.S.-Israel partnership is rooted in shared security interests and democratic values. Targeted sanctions against individuals who have engaged in violence or obstructed the delivery of humanitarian aid reinforce those values and help prevent further instability in the region.
To that end, we urge the Departments to:
Conduct a full review of individuals credibly alleged to have obstructed humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza and of those individuals engaged in violent attacks on Palestinian civilians or aid workers in the West Bank;
Designate such individuals for sanctions under Executive Order 13818; and
Coordinate with Israeli authorities to ensure accountability and prevent further disruption of humanitarian operations.
We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and stand ready to support the Department’s efforts to ensure accountability, safeguard humanitarian operations, and strengthen U.S. leadership in the region.
We have made this piece free to all subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber yet, consider becoming one today to have access to all Zeteo content. And if you’re already a paid subscriber, you can always make a donation to support us further.
Have a tip for Prem? Send via email or Signal (premthakker.35). Check out more of his reporting and essays below:
I still don't like him. This is bare minimum. He has said shitty things about Palestinians and Pro-Palestine supporters. I wish we had better politicians.
This feels completely performative in nature. Senator Gallego has been supporting Israel despite their genocidal behavior throughout his entire political career, and now, in a pathetic attempt to convince Arizona voters that he's not actually owned by Israel, he launches a petition that he knows will amount to absolutely nothing at all in terms of meaningful action. Like Rubio and Trump care about petitions.