December 14, 2018

Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that would sanction terror groups like Hezbollah for using civilians as human shields.

The bill, titled the Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act, specifically condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for their use of civilians as human shields.

“Throughout the 2006 conflict with the State of Israel, Hezbollah forces utilized human shields to protect themselves from counterattacks by Israeli forces, including storing weapons inside civilian homes and firing rockets from inside populated civilian areas,” the bill states. “Hezbollah has rearmed to include an arsenal of over 150,000 missiles, and other destabilizing weapons provided by the Syrian and Iranian governments, which are concealed in Shiite villages in southern Lebanon, often beneath civilian infrastructure.”

The bill later adds, “It shall be the policy of the United States to consider the use of human shields by Hezbollah as a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights, to officially and publicly condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields by Hezbollah, and to take effective action against those that engage in the grave breach of international law through the use of human shields.”

Hamas is also listed as a terror group that will be sanctioned under the bill.

The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, was originally passed by the House of Representatives in October 2017. A year later, the Senate sent back a revised bill back to the House and tacked on some amendments. The final bill passed the House on Thursday.

AIPAC, one of the key groups lobbying for the bill, praised Congress for taking “legislative action against this heinous practice” in a statement.

“The importance of this legislation is underscored by the recent discovery of Hezbollah terror tunnels into Israel that originated under the cover of civilian houses in Lebanon,” AIPAC said. “And just weeks ago – using the cover of civilian populations in Gaza – Hamas fired more than 500 rockets at communities across southern Israel.”

Christians United for Israel (CUFI), which was also involved in lobbying for the bill, also hailed the passage of the bill.

“Those who use human shields are the worst kind of cowards,” CUFI founder and chairman Pastor John Hagee said in a statement. “The practitioners of this monstrous practice hide behind the skirts of women and the bodies of children in order to attack neighboring innocent civilians.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeted:

Grateful to see Congress passed the “Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act.” ADL had endorsed the bill, which penalizes Hamas and Hezbollah operatives and others who help them use this illegal practice: https://t.co/kzevVPlJvD

— ADL (@ADL) December 12, 2018

The bill will now be sent to President Trump’s desk.