Senate Resolution 852 is a proposed 2026 United States congressional resolution to require the US State Department to produce an unclassified report to Congress on Israel's human rights practices and violence in the West Bank, including the killings of American citizens.
The resolution was introduced by Senator Chris Van Hollen and co-sponsored by several Democratic in September 2026 under section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act, which allows senators to demand human rights reports on countries receiving American military aid. As a privileged resolution, it must be brought to a floor vote within 10 days if a committee fails to consider it.
Background According to Van Hollen, nine American citizens have been killed in the West Bank since January 1, 2022: DateNameAgeCityDescriptionJanuary 12, 2022Omar Assad78JilijliyaMay 11, 2022Shireen Abu Akleh51JeninJanuary 19, 2024Tawfic Abdel Jabbar17Highway 60February 10, 2024Mohammad Ahmad Alkhdour17BidduSeptember 6, 2024Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi26BeitaApril 2025Amer Mohammad Saada Rabee14Turmus AyyaJuly 2025Sayfollah Kamel Musallet20SinjilAugust 2025Khamis Ayyad40SilwadFebruary 2026Nasrallah Abu Siyam19Mukhmas In 2024, a vote on a resolution was forced by Bernie Sanders seeking a State Department report on human rights violations in Gaza received votes from 11 Democrats.
Provisions The resolution would require the State Department to submit a report to Congress within 30 days on the deaths of nine American citizens in the West Bank involving Israeli security forces or Israeli settlers since 2022, along with the Israeli detention of Palestinian children. The majority of American security assistance to Israel would be suspended if the report is not submitted.
Legislative history On September 29, 2026, the resolution was defeated 51 to 47 in a Senate floor vote. Democrat John Fetterman joined Republicans in voting against the resolution, and Republican Rand Paul voted in favor.
Following the vote, Van Hollen said, "It is our responsibility to ensure recipients of US taxpayer dollars act in line with our laws and our values – this resolution was an opportunity to shed light on a reality that flies in the face of that principle."
Reception The resolution was supported by groups including the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Amnesty International, the Arab American Institute, and the Council on American—Islamic Relations.
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