U.S. Congressional candidate Jake LaTurner gets first-hand look at settlement in Israel's West Bank

Press Release

In an effort to better understand the situation in Israel, Kansas State Treasurer and candidate for the Kansas 2nd congressional district seat, Jake LaTurner, visited the city of Efrat during a recent trip to Israel. Efrat is an Israeli settlement located in Israel's West Bank.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently debated and voted on a measure about whether settlements like Efrat should be considered legal under international law.

The resolution which was voted largely along party lines was viewed as a clear rejection of the policy President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently established that Israelis have the legal right to settle in this region. LaTurner's primary opponent, Congressman Steve Watkins, was one of only a handful of Republicans who voted with the Democrat majority to pass House Resolution 326. It stated that peace between Israel and Palestine should be carried out with "an end to the [Israeli] occupation, including opposing settlement activity and moves toward unilateral annexation in Palestinian territory."

"Having now had the opportunity to see one of these settlements with my own eyes and speak personally with the Mayor of Efrat, I continue to be in complete agreement with President Trump and Secretary Pompeo that the thousands of Israelis who live and work in these thriving cities have a legal right to continue to live there peaceably," said Jake LaTurner. "These settlements are actually large communities with thousands of hard-working individuals and families who live under constant threat of rocket attacks from their hostile neighbors. It is imperative that the U.S. support efforts for a peaceful resolution between the nation of Israel and Palestine. Congressman Watkins' vote opposing these settlements is ill-conceived and not the way to foster peace."

Efrat was established in 1983 and is located 7.5 miles south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron.

During LaTurner's time in Israel he also visited the Gaza border and met with Foreign Minister Eli Hazan. Additionally, LaTurner toured an Israeli Defense Forces base and took a tour of Israel Chemicals Ltd., an Israeli-based business that has expanded their operation to Lawrence, Kansas.

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