S. Res 797 - A resolution requesting information on Israel's human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
S. Res. 797 was introduced on June 24th, 2026, by Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). It is currently pending before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Related legislation: H.Con.Res. 108
Bill Summary: Pursuant to Sec. 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(c)), S. Res. 797 requests that the Secretary of State – in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and the Office of the Legal Adviser – submit to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee a statement on Israel's human rights practices since February 28, 2026. The statement must include: the “scale and scope of Israeli destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, 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.” It must also include a count of civilian casualties “caused by indiscriminate or disproportionate operations” in unilaterally imposed evacuation zones, including ‘double tap strikes;’ “whether U.S.-provided bulldozers, munitions, and defense articles or services have been used in mass destruction, demolition operations, or civilian harm incidents;” an explanation of any actions taken by the Secretary to seek a Legal Advisor determination on potential international humanitarian law (IHL) violations and war crimes; and an assessment of whether Israeli operations violate Israel’s assurances that U.S.-provided arms would be used in accordance with IHLs or for legitimate self defense.
S.Res.797 would not by itself mandate a halt to U.S. arms transfers to Israel. Rather, it would require the Administration to provide a report to Congress on the matters it directs. Subsequent to that report, Congress would have the opportunity to vote on a new Joint Resolution proposing any necessary changes to security assistance. Only should the Administration choose not to provide the report required under this Resolution within 30 days would the full cut-off of assistance under Section 502B be automatically triggered.
Context: Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon over the course of the past four months has killed 4,257 people, destroyed or damaged more than 60,000 housing units, displaced over 1 million people, and reduced “dozens of centuries-old villages, mosques, and churches across southern Lebanon” to rubble through bulldozer demolitions and controlled detonations, while Israeli officials openly speak of the indefinite occupation south of the Litani River. Despite the framework agreement signed on June 26, 2026, Israel has continued to strike Southern Lebanon and occupy 6% of Lebanon amounting to 234 square miles (three times the size of the District of Columbia). President Trump has publicly called on Israel to cease strikes on multiple occasions, including saying that “You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah.
The report required under this Resolution would require a fulsome accounting by the U.S. Government of the harm done during this operation, as well as the role of U.S.-origin defense articles in Israel’s operations
American Values Analysis: S. Res. 797 encourages transparency on the use of U.S. funding in facilitating grave abuses of human rights and violations of international law. The U.S. should strive to be a global leader in the promotion of our values. This legislation furthers those goals by aspiring to hold both this country and its partner, Israel, to those standards.
American Interest Analysis: Israel's war in Lebanon is one of the most significant obstacles to a stable ceasefire with Iran. Continued Israeli operations against Lebanese territory, including the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the displacement of more than a million people, and Israeli officials' open contemplation of indefinite occupation south of the Litani, give Tehran both the incentive and the political cover to resist the terms of any durable settlement. S.Res.797 is consistent with American values as the longer the United States remains publicly associated with a campaign that has flattened villages, mosques, and churches across southern Lebanon, the harder it becomes for American diplomats to credibly advance any of the values the United States claims to represent anywhere else in the world.
A New Policy’s Recommendation: SUPPORT
A New Policy supports S. Res. 797 as it invokes a privileged legislative mechanism to compel executive branch disclosure of how U.S.-provided arms have been used in Lebanon, and of what steps the State Department has taken to ensure compliance with American law.
For more information please contact Josh Paul, info@anewpolicy.org, (202) 770-0055
