US lawmakers urge Rubio to act against West Bank settlement expansion Two Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have led an appeal to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to use all available diplomatic and legal tools to prevent further Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, particularly in the controversial E1 area. Representative Mark Pocan said the United States should use its influence to act immediately. “As the world’s most powerful country, we need to use our leverage to act now,” he said.