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June 24, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextPRACTICES PURSUANT TO SECTION 502B(C) OF THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF
1961
Mr. WELCH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
Whereas Israeli military operations in Lebanon during the
2026 war have been characterized by the destruction of
thousands of civilian homes, residential buildings, and
religious sites, and by mass evacuation orders resulting in
the displacement of more than 1,000,000 people;
Whereas, according to Lebanon's National Council for
Scientific Research, since February 28, 2026, Israeli
operations across Lebanon have destroyed or damaged more than
60,000 housing units;
Whereas press reports indicate that Israel Defense Forces
have used bulldozers and controlled demolitions to destroy
dozens of centuries-old villages, mosques, and churches
across southern Lebanon, with the New York Times reporting
the controlled destruction of “at least two dozen towns and
villages near the border, with damage to government offices
as well as civilian infrastructure, including schools,
hospitals and mosques”;
Whereas the destruction of civilian homes in Lebanon has
been enabled by the imposition of unilaterally declared
“evacuation zones,” which have displaced more than
1,000,000 people, including 700,000 who were forcibly
displaced from a single Beirut neighborhood;
Whereas Israeli officials have spoken of occupying a
“security zone” and indefinitely occupying Lebanon to the
Litani River;
Whereas Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention
prohibits the destruction of property by occupying powers
“except where such destruction is rendered absolutely
necessary by military operations”;
Whereas the “extensive destruction and appropriation of
property, not justified by military necessity and carried out
unlawfully and wantonly” is a breach of the Fourth Geneva
Convention and a war crime under section 2441 of title 18,
United States Code; and
Whereas intentionally directing attacks against civilian
objects is a war crime: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON ISRAEL'S HUMAN RIGHTS
PRACTICES.
(a) Statement Requested.—The Senate requests that the
Secretary of State, not later than 30 days after the date of
the adoption of this resolution, submit to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives, pursuant to section
502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2304(c)), a statement regarding Israel's human rights
practices that has been prepared in collaboration with the
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor and the Office of the Legal Adviser.
(b) Elements.—The statement submitted under subsection (a)
should include—
(1) all available credible information concerning alleged
violations of internationally recognized human rights by the
Government of Israel since February 28, 2026, including—
(A) the full scale and scope of the Israeli government's
destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon
since February 28, 2026, including the destruction of
religious, educational, and medical facilities, and the
razing of objects indispensable to the survival of the
civilian population, including farmland and orchards; and
(B) an assessment of civilian casualties in unilaterally
imposed “evacuation zones” and the denial of the right to
life in the context of the armed conflict in Lebanon caused
by indiscriminate or disproportionate operations in such
zones, including the use of so-called “double tap” strikes
on civilians; and
(2) other information with regard to operations by the
Israeli armed forces in Lebanon since February 28, 2026,
including—
(A) an assessment of whether United States-provided
bulldozers, munitions, and defense articles or services have
been used in mass destruction or demolition operations, or
civilian harm incidents in Lebanon;
(B) a description of any actions taken by the Secretary of
State to solicit a determination from the Office of the Legal
Adviser of whether actions by the Government of Israel in
Lebanon present risks of violating international humanitarian
law or of constituting war crimes or gross violations of
human rights for purposes of compliance with the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.); and
(C) a description of any actions taken by the Secretary of
State to seek information and a determination on whether
Israel's operations in Lebanon violate Israel's assurances to
the United States Government that United States-provided
defense articles and services would be used in accordance
with international humanitarian law and for “legitimate
self-defense”.