Democratic lawmakers are signing a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling to cut aid to Israel if it proceeds with annexation. Mike TheilerUPI Four women in the US Congress say that if Israel proceeds with further annexation plans in the occupied West Bank it would “lay the groundwork for Israel becoming an apartheid state.”

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Betty McCollum and Pramila Jayapal are making the claim in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that they are circulating for signature among colleagues.

According to Politico, the letter has been signed by nine more lawmakers including Senator Bernie Sanders.

Although the letter overlooks the current apartheid reality, it is not typical for US lawmakers to refer to Israeli apartheid at all.

It is even rarer for members of Congress to call for Israel to pay any price for its actions.