House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the United States needs dramatic change in the West Bank and Gaza at a news conference on Thursday, November 12, 2026, following the Democratic midterm victories.
“We need dramatic change in the West Bank, which is why I strongly support the West Bank Violence Prevention Act,” Jeffries said. “We need dramatic change in Gaza, and we need dramatic change with respect to the memorandum of understanding as it winds down.”
Jeffries said House Democrats would work as a caucus “to make sure that we can bring about the just and lasting peace that Israelis and Palestinians deserve over in the Middle East.”
The 26-second video of the news conference shows Jeffries speaking at a podium flanked by United States flags and House seals.
Democrats won the House in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, and Jeffries is expected to become Speaker when the 120th Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027. The House Speaker vote is expected next Wednesday.
In an October 7, 2026 statement, Jeffries called the deaths of Palestinian civilians and the devastation in Gaza “reprehensible,” urged an end to West Bank settler violence, and called for an independent Palestinian state.