Congress Can Stop Israel’s Lebanon Assault | Palestine Policy Roundup 6.2.26
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
THE HUMAN COST OF WAR: BY THE NUMBERS:
🇵🇸 GAZA: 932 killed since the beginning of Trump's Gaza plan (Palestinian Ministry of Health); at least 3,005 Israeli violations of Trump's Gaza plan (Gaza Government Media Office); 72,942 killed during Israel's genocide (Palestinian Ministry of Health)
🇮🇷 IRAN: 3,468 killed (Iran Ministry of Health)
🇱🇧 LEBANON: 3,433 killed (Lebanon Ministry of Public Health); 1.1 million displaced (UN)
🇮🇱 ISRAEL: 26 killed (Israel Ministry of Health)
🇺🇲 US: 13 servicemembers killed (US Military)
✅ THIS WEEK: VOTE ON LEBANON WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
Rep. Rashida Tlaib is preparing to force a vote on her Lebanon War Powers resolution (H.Con.Res.84) this week as Israel escalates its illegal and expansionist war.
WHAT THE RESOLUTION DOES: The resolution directs the removal of the US military from involvement in Israel's assault on Lebanon.
WHY IT MATTERS: The resolution would send a critical message of opposition to Israel's bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon, which is making a mockery of the supposed ceasefire.
Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers reportedly captured Beaufort Castle, which is a medieval-era fortress beyond the Israeli yellow line. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed Israel's intent to occupy the fortress as part of its further expansion into Lebanese territory.
Last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an escalation of Israel's bombing and invasion of Lebanon. Israel bombed Lebanon 120 times that day. Overnight last Wednesday and into Thursday, Israel bombed the ancient city of Tyre, which is also Lebanon's fourth largest city, 15 times.
US INVOLVEMENT: Israel's attacks have been green-lit by the Trump administration and carried out with US awareness, even following the so-called ceasefire.
Israel is using US-provided weapons and bulldozers to flatten the southern part of the country and to potentially permanently displace 600,000 people. Israel has already used bulldozers, likely provided by the US, to destroy homes and infrastructure in the area.
PREVENTING PEACE: Iran has suspended its participation in peace talks with the US over Israel's attacks in Lebanon.
DEPLOYING GAZA PLAYBOOK: The Israeli military is using tactics in Lebanon similar to those it used to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Last Thursday, Israel bombed an apartment building in the southern suburbs of Beirut and killed 14 people.
Israel has killed more than 120 medical workers and damaged 16 hospitals since March.
Israel has issued forced displacement orders for broad swathes of Lebanon's territory, including for all of the country south of the Zahrani River—which includes Tyre—and the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel has forcibly displaced more than one million Lebanese people since March.
💡 VOTE REC: IMEU Policy Project strongly urges House Members to vote yes on the Lebanon War Powers Resolution.
📈 ONE YEAR SINCE INTRODUCTION OF BLOCK THE BOMBS
This week marks the first anniversary of the introduction of the Block the Bombs Act (H.R.3565). As Israel continues its attacks on Palestinians in Gaza–in violation of the October 2025 Trump plan–and escalates its attacks on Lebanon, the urgency of the bill has only grown.
WHAT THE BILL DOES: Block the Bombs would proactively block the delivery of six weapons to Israel that it has used extensively during its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza: BLU-109 bunker busting bombs, MK80 series bombs, GBU-39 small diameter bomb variants, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), SPICE gliding bomb assemblies, 120mm tank ammunition, and 155mm artillery ammunition, including white phosphorus munitions.
INCREASING SUPPORT: 70 House Members have cosponsored the bill, including 50 since its introduction. These Members are catching up to American voters—who increasingly oppose continued weapons deliveries to Israel.
A recent poll published by The New York Times found that 57% of Americans oppose providing more weapons to Israel.
WHY IT STILL MATTERS: Israel continues to use the weapons in Gaza and elsewhere that the bill would block.
Last month, Israel used US-provided GBU-39 small diameter bombs in two attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City—in violation of the Trump plan.
On March 3, Israel fired 155mm artillery munitions that contained white phosphorus at the Lebanese town of Yohmor.
📖 LEARN MORE about the bill and how Israel has used these weapons in violation of US law in our policy memo.
💡 COSPONSOR REQUEST: IMEU Policy Project strongly encourages House Members to cosponsor the Block the Bombs Act.
📣 TAKE ACTION: Write to your Representative and ask them to sign on to the Block the Bombs Act, or thank them for doing so.
⚠️ HOUSE NDAA LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR NEXT ISRAEL WEAPONS DEAL
The Chairman's Mark of the House Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act threatens to further entrench US complicity in Israel's subjugation of Palestinians through the systematic integration of Israeli weapons makers into the Pentagon's supply chain.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: Ben Freeman details the provision in Responsible Statecraft: "Section 224...would greatly expand coordination to seemingly every area of defense tech, including AI, quantum, autonomous systems, directed energy, cyber, biotech, and many more. It also proposes 'network integration' and 'data fusion.' In other words, the U.S. military's data could soon be the Israeli military's data...If fully enacted, this proposal would provide a higher level of military-industrial integration than the U.S. has with any other country in the world."
💡 MARK-UP VOTE REC: IMEU Policy Project strongly urges Members of the House Armed Services Committee to vote YES on Rep. Ro Khanna's amendment to strip Section 224 from the NDAA.
🚨 ISRAEL PREPARES FOR ETHNIC CLEANSING IN GAZA
Last Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli government intends to advance the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. Israel's policies of displacement and obstruction of aid serve to make life unbearable for Palestinians in Gaza and force them to leave the area. Earlier this year, the Israeli cabinet approved the creation of a bureau under Israel Katz's leadership to carry out the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.
CORRALLING PALESTINIANS: Katz's announcement came during the same week that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his involvement in Israel's genocide in Gaza, ordered the Israeli military to occupy 70% of Gaza in violation of the Trump plan.
Most Palestinians have been forcibly displaced into the ever-shrinking area of Gaza beyond the Israeli redeployment line, also known as the yellow line.
The Israeli military has reportedly built physical barriers along the Israeli line of control, which in some places is beyond the yellow line. These barriers are one of the latest signals of Israel's intent to potentially permanently occupy the area.
BLOCKING AID: Katz's announcement also came as Israel continues to restrict the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. According to Human Rights Watch, Israel has severely restricted the entry of aid following the beginning of the illegal US-Israeli war on Iran, and that the amount of aid entering Gaza never reached the levels that Palestinians needed according to the UN.
Earlier this year, Israel moved to compel dozens of NGOs that provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza to provide lists of their Palestinian staff or face de-registration, which would prohibit them from providing aid. The Israeli High Court upheld these rules in late May.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Rep. Rashida Tlaib: "The genocide in Gaza continues, and there is no ceasefire. Netanyahu is openly announcing the military takeover of 70 percent, and ultimately all, of Gaza. Four more children in Gaza were killed by U.S.-funded Israeli bombs yesterday. No more excuses: Arms Embargo now."
Rep. Valerie Foushee: "Israel killed another 21 people in Lebanon on Tuesday, including at least 3 children and 3 women. It should anger every single American that our government is spending our taxpayer dollars to support Israel's strikes on civilians in Lebanon, a war with Iran that has claimed the lives of thousands, and the continued indiscriminate killing of Palestinians."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal: "The American people do not want the U.S. government to continue using taxpayer dollars to arm the Israeli government. We must pass the Block the Bombs Act to stop our complicity in the violence and destruction against Palestinian families and children."
Rep. Delia Ramirez: "The genocide in Gaza has not ended. Netanyahu and Trump have no intention of honoring a ceasefire or ensuring the self-determination of Palestinians. Netanyahu's government continues to displace and murder Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, while bombing Lebanon and dragging the U.S. into an endless war in Iran. Congress can and must act. We must pass Rep Tlaib's and my War Powers Resolution, pass my Block the Bombs Act, and conduct oversight over Trump's so-called Board of Peace to save lives and hold Netanyahu and Trump accountable."
Photo: mytaj, via Shutterstock. Stock Photo ID: 2383248961