A group of Democratic lawmakers are calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to put pressure on the Israeli government to halt the displacement of 38 families living in the Palestinian village of al-Walaja. 

Residents of al-Walaja, an agricultural village west of Bethlehem, have been legally barred from building new homes since Israel annexed the village’s northern section in 1967. Today, more than 300 residents whose homes were constructed without permits are set to lose them, warned the letter to Blinken led by Reps. Jan Schakowsky, David Price, Jamie Raskin, John Yarmuth and Mark Pocan. 

“The destruction and displacement of this community would run counter to the values shared by the US and Israel, while further undermining long-term Israeli security, Palestinian dignity and prospects for peace,” read the letter signed by 50 House Democrats. 

The letter called on Blinken to help “ensure that the planning authorities are working with the Palestinian residents to advance an equitable development plan that will formally authorize existing homes, provide for adequate municipal services, and allow for residential and other necessary development of the village.”