Rashida Tlaib

Ms. TLAIB

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, this is Hussein Wehbe again. He was a 17- year-old. He was a volunteer. He was a first responder with the Lebanese Civil Defense. He was also a Boy Scout. He was killed while trying to save lives. The next person is Ahmed Hariri. He was also a paramedic and a photojournalist who was killed in a double-tap strike while trying to rescue injured survivors of an Israeli drone strike. He was killed alongside two fellow paramedics less than 2 days after the World Health Assembly passed a resolution calling for the protection of medical personnel in Lebanon. This is what our country is supporting, Mr. Speaker. This is the military we are coordinating strikes with and providing targeting intelligence with, a military that systematically is targeting and killing civilians. We must end the U.S. support of these war crimes. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Ms. TLAIB. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch have documented Israel's illegal use of white phosphorus multiple times in Lebanon, which is a war crime. They launched it in residential neighborhoods and Lebanese farmland. Is this what our country is supporting? White phosphorus is a chemical agent that ignites when exposed to oxygen and burns at up to 800 degrees Celsius, melting human flesh to the bone and poisoning the soil with toxic heavy metals. White phosphorus kills. It leaves survivors with cruel injuries, and burn results cause lifelong suffering. The only place in the entire northern hemisphere right now that literally fills white phosphorus munitions is right here in the United States in Arkansas. We are supplying these horrific chemical bombs to the Israeli military, and our military is providing operational support, as we speak, for these scorched-earth campaigns that are destroying the very conditions of life in Lebanon. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the human life in Lebanon more because I think it is important to understand. This is Hussein Wehbe. At least 128 medics--he was a medic, 17 years old--128 medics and other health workers have been targeted and killed by the Israeli Government since March, just as they have done in Gaza. They are often killed in what they call double-tap strikes. American people don't understand this. Double-tap strikes are war crimes where following an initial strike, the Israeli Government comes in, waits for the emergency rescue workers to show up with the ambulances at the scene, and then strikes again. In Lebanon, we have seen the Israeli Government commit triple-tap, quadruple-tap strikes, an atrocity previously unheard of where team after team of rescuers are completely slaughtered. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an April 16 Guardian article titled: ``Israel escalates attacks on medics in Lebanon with deadly `quadruple tap.' '' [From the Guardian, Apr. 16, 2026] Israel Escalates Attacks on Medics in Lebanon With Deadly `Quadruple Tap' (By William Christou) When they received the call to respond to an Israeli airstrike in the city of Mayfadoun, in southern Lebanon, most of the paramedics held back, having previously seen colleagues killed by double-tap attacks targeting rescuers. But the medics from the Islamic Health Association (IHA) rushed to the scene. By the time the other emergency workers arrived at the site, they found the IHA medics had indeed been caught in a second strike. They started evacuating their wounded colleagues, only for their ambulances to be hit in two further attacks. In total, the attacks killed four medics and wounded six more, from three different ambulance corps, according to medical sources. Three of the medics were from the Hezbollah- affiliated IHA and Amal-affiliated medical corps, while one was from the Nabatieh emergency services organisation. Under international law, all medics are protected and are considered noncombatants, regardless of political affiliation. Rescuers in Lebanon have long been wary of the double-tap attack, when Israeli forces target a location, wait until people gather to help survivors, and then strike again. Wednesday's three-wave attack after the initial one prompted the coining of a fearsome new term: the quadruple tap. In a video taken by one of the paramedics at the site, rescuers are seen loading two wounded people into their ambulances when a bomb lands next to their vehicle. Paramedics rush to extract the driver, who is motionless and limp as they pull him from the ambulance, which is splashed with blood. ``Oh God, oh God,'' the man filming can be heard saying. They carry two more blood-covered medics out of their vehicle and on to stretchers. Among the paramedics killed was Fadel Sarhan, 43, who is survived by his eight-year-old daughter. ``Fadel was a very loved person. He had a bold personality, but at the same time, he was emotional. He was well liked and responsible,'' said Ali Nasr al-Deen, the head of the Mayfadoun civil defence centre who grew up with Sarhan. ``He used to feed the cats and dogs. He would bring pet food from Beirut so they wouldn't go hungry. He was that kind of person, caring and attentive. It's a huge loss for us,'' said Nasr al-Deen. Medics mourned their colleagues on Thursday at funerals in Nabatieh, a city near Mayfadoun. Such events have become increasingly common, with healthcare workers killed by Israeli bombings on a near daily basis. Mohammed Suleiman, whose 16-year-old son, Joud, was killed while on duty as a paramedic by an Israeli strike weeks earlier, joined his peers in burying another of his friends on Thursday. A few hours after the funerals, Israel carried out another wave of airstrikes on Nabatieh. Israel has so far killed 91 healthcare workers and wounded 214 more in Lebanon since the Israel-Hezbollah war started on 2 March. It has given little justification for its repeated attacks on medical infrastructure and workers, apart from accusing Hezbollah of using ambulances and hospitals to transport fighters and weapons, without providing evidence for the claim. The Lebanese ministry of health accused Israel of deliberately targeting ambulance crews. ``Paramedics have become direct targets, pursued relentlessly in a blatant violation that confirms a total disregard for all norms and principles established by international humanitarian law,'' the ministry said in a statement. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A video of Tebnine hospital from 14 April showed workers trying to clear shattered concrete and debris from the emergency department after a strike blew in the windows. Commenting on the strike in Tebnine, the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: ``I reiterate the call for the immediate protection of healthcare facilities, health workers, ambulances and patients. There must be safe, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access across Lebanon.'' An ambulance in Tebnine was also struck on Thursday, leading to the critical injury of two medics, according to the Lebanese ministry of health. As healthcare workers watched their colleagues and friends being killed by Israel, the mental toll was becoming almost too much to bear. ``We have to go to places to rescue people, but then we get double tapped,'' said Abbas Atwi, the head of the IHA's emergency department in Nabatieh, shortly after a medical centre was targeted in March, killing his friends and colleagues. ``But we will stay and keep going, we will not leave.''

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think it is really important--you know, I said earlier about Defense Minister Katz not once does he mention Hezbollah. He said literally that we are going to destroy Lebanese homes and villages in accordance with Beit Hanoun and Rafah models in Gaza. I am not joking. This is Finance Minister Smotrich. He literally threatened the major neighborhoods of Beirut will soon resemble Khan Yunis, a city in Gaza that was destroyed by the Israeli military. Not one of them mentioned Hezbollah. They talk about greater Israel. They talk about a campaign to spread boundaries, again, with no regard of international law. I want to put up the photo of Theodossia because she wasn't Hezbollah. She is not a terrorist. She was a young student that just finished her exams. It is disrespectful. If you really care about the Lebanese people, then you would understand the importance of not continuing, again, the indiscriminate bombings that are continuing throughout Lebanon. She should be alive today. I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, to understand what is happening on the ground if you really care about the Lebanese people like you claim you care about the Iranian people. Everybody claims they care about everybody on the ground and that this is about security. It is not. I think it is important. I include in the Record a March 25 article from the Guardian titled: ``Israel used white phosphorus to scorch earth in south Lebanon, researcher says.'' That is the title. [From The Guardian, Mar. 25, 2026] Israel used white phosphorus to scorch earth in south Lebanon, researcher says (By Damien Gayle) When the M825-series 155mm artillery projectile bursts, expelling its felt wedges containing white phosphorus, it leaves a distinctive knuckle-shaped plume. That is how Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers said they were able to verify that Israel was again using the notorious weapon over south Lebanon, reigniting accusations that it is breaking the laws of war. The New York-based rights group said it had verified and geolocated eight images showing airburst white phosphorus munitions exploding over residential areas in the southern Lebanese town of Yohmor in the opening days of Israel's assault during the war on Gaza. Since then, more videos have emerged purporting to show white phosphorus munitions exploding over south Lebanon, and researchers say that with 800,000 Lebanese people displaced from the region after Israeli forces ordered them to leave, many more uses may have gone undocumented. In the last week, Israeli soldiers have been facing fierce resistance from Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon, despite an intense bombing campaign. In recent days, Israeli forces have bombed roads, petrol stations, bridges and medical centres in an effort to cut south Lebanon off from the rest of the country. White phosphorus is a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, bombs and rockets that ignites when exposed to oxygen, burning at up to 800C and emitting large quantities of smoke. Military forces use it as a smokescreen to mask troop movements, mark targets or illuminate terrain at night, and military lawyers argue such uses are entirely legitimate. But its use over civilian areas is controversial--and some claim illegal--because it ignites fires, causes serious burns and emits toxic fumes. Ahmad Beydoun, an architect and PhD researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, documented and mapped nearly 250 uses of white phosphorus by Israeli forces between October 2023 and November 2024, the last time they launched a full-scale attack on southern Lebanon. Beydoun, who said his count was a conservative estimate, found that 39% of uses were in residential areas, 17% in agricultural lands and 44% in forested or open terrain. ``I think the Israeli army's thinking is that they use it to burn down fields for visibility, so that people or Hezbollah militants don't hide under the trees,'' he said. According to a report by the Lebanese non-profit Public Works Studio, white phosphorus was used to burn more than 2,000 hectares (4,940 acres) of southern Lebanese countryside, ''including 873 hectares of dense forest with gum trees and vast areas covered with oak and pine trees''. White phosphorus can also lie hidden in the soil and spontaneously combust when uncovered by farmers, posing a continuing threat if the people of south Lebanon are able to return to their homes. And the effects can also be systemic, the report warned, as repeated white phosphorus strikes saturate the soil with phosphonc acid along with toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and zinc. Together, the report said, this accumulation ``can reduce microbial diversity, deplete soil fertility [and] decrease agricultural productivity''. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said it could not comment on HRW's claim that it used white phosphorus illegally over Yohmor. ``There may be visual similarities between smoke shells containing white phosphorus and smoke shells that do not, and caution is advised before making factual determinations regarding use of smoke shells with white phosphorus in individual cases based on visuals alone,'' the spokesperson said. Last week Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, reportedly avoided responding directly to HRW's allegations. ``We do everything we can to minimise civilian casualties,'' he said at a media briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, according to Anadolu Agency. ``That's why we actually asked the people from southern Lebanon, south of the Litani, to move to the north, to avoid civilian casualties.'' Beydoun said his findings suggested Israel's military may be using white phosphorus ``as a way to maybe start pushing people out'' to create a ``buffer zone'' on the Lebanese side of the border. It's just a practical tool to use to burn fields, I think it's mostly that,'' he said. ``It's mostly for scorching the earth.''

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Omar).

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, let's get back to the debate. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Ms. TLAIB. I object.

Ms. TLAIB. I object, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I object. I object, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. TLAIB. It was.

Ms. TLAIB. That is a direct attack on my character. I please request to strike the words down.

Ms. TLAIB. Here we go. Strike the last words now. Mr. Speaker, strike the last words.

Ms. TLAIB. That is a problem.

Ms. TLAIB. I am hanging out with terrorists now?

Ms. TLAIB. Strike those words.

Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, section 5(c) of the War Powers Act, it is in there. You can just read it. It says if it is ``engaged in hostilities.'' If U.S. Armed Forces are there and they are not participating in this ethnic cleansing campaign, then they are fine. If they are there training the Lebanese Armed Forces, they are fine. This is not what it is about. If you read the War Powers section 5(c), it is very clear. It is in writing in the law of the War Powers Act. It is really important that we understand and not get confusion. I want to share a so-called, I guess, Amal Khalil. This is a photo of a very prominent Lebanese journalist. Amal Khalil, she was targeted and killed. Amal and her colleague Zeinab were reporting devastation in southern Lebanon when an Israeli drone struck her car near them, killing two civilians. Amal and Zeinab sought shelter in a nearby building, but Israel then struck the building, trapping them under the rubble. But it gets worse. It gets worse. When rescue and medical workers finally arrived at the scene to rescue Zeinab, they came under fire before they could rescue Amal. They were prevented from returning to the site for hours, Mr. Speaker. Amal was dead by the time her body was recovered over 6 hours later. Amal is only one victim of many of the Israeli military's deliberate, indiscriminate bombings and targeting even of journalists in Lebanon. Israel has killed 250 journalists and media workers across Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, even Iran. Our country should not be sharing intelligence and coordinating strikes with the military that hunts and kills journalists for sport. We must end the U.S. support for this invasion. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez), my good colleague and one of the cosponsors of the resolution.

Ms. TLAIB. I think it is abhorrent every day that goes by where this Congress does not act, 11 more children would die or have serious injuries as a result of, again, us not pulling back any of the resources and so forth.

Ms. TLAIB. It is very clear. This is about saving lives. They are able to stay there if they are not engaged in hostilities.

Ms. TLAIB. Right now, the War Powers Resolution that I have is if they are engaged in hostilities. If they are not engaged in hostilities--

Ms. TLAIB. ``Eleven children killed, injured every 24 hours in Lebanon.'' Are those children Hezbollah? Are those children terrorists?

Ms. TLAIB. In the meantime, I include in the Record a May 29 article from Reuters. [From Reuters, May 29, 2026] Eleven Children Killed, Injured Every 24 Hours in Lebanon, UN, Says (By Olivia Le Poidevin) Eleven children have been killed or injured on average every 24 hours in Lebanon over the last week, the U.N.'s children's agency said on Friday, as Israel has expanded strikes across the country despite a ceasefire. Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday, after Israel declared a new swathe of the area a combat zone. It also struck a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Thursday. A total of 77 children have been killed or injured in the last seven days, UNICEF said, citing figures provided by Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. Since the ceasefire began on April 16, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured, according to the agency. UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires called for all parties to fully respect the ceasefire. ``Under international humanitarian law, children and civilian infrastructure must be protected,'' he said. The ceasefire announced by Washington was meant to halt the fighting that has raged between Israeli troops and Iran- backed Hezbollah since March 2. The U.N.'s World Health Organization also said on Friday that the threat from the expansion of military activities raised grave health concerns for the Lebanese population. Since the ceasefire took effect, a total of 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, resulting in 25 deaths and 42 injuries, according to the WHO. A total of 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centres have been damaged in attacks, it added.

Ms. TLAIB. Our country must stop aiding in these killings. To me, she was not a terrorist. She was a human being who should be alive today.

Ms. TLAIB. I would like to know if Ms. Karam, a university student from the Christian village of Qlayaa in south Lebanon--she wasn't a terrorist. She was murdered on Monday. She was returning home after completing her exams at the Lebanese University in Beirut. Look it up. The Israeli bomb targeted her family's car, killing her alongside her brother, Tony, and her father, James, who is a dental surgeon in the community. He wasn't a terrorist.