Ruzevich slams Casten’s support of Genocide in Palestine

How do you know an incumbent is worried about losing the primary election? He introduces a bill that attempts to cover up his complicity in an ongoing genocide, his disregard for his constituency, and his desire to maintain the status quo in Congress.

Statement from candidate Joseph “Joey” Ruzevich on the release from Congressman Sean Casten on Genocide in Palestine.

For two years, Congressman Sean Casten ignored us. He ignored the slaughter of over 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza. He ignored the destruction of every university, hospital, and most residential neighborhoods.

Casten ignored famine. He ignored the killing of journalists, doctors, and children and he ignored his own Palestinian constituents. The largest Palestinian constituency in the United States.

Now, in the final weeks of a primary he is terrified of losing to an opponent, Joey Ruzevich, that embodies every fiber of integrity, accountability, courage and respect he lacks, he introduces the so-called Ceasefire Compliance Act of 2026.

This bill is not about accountability or justice, and it is not designed to end U.S. complicity in the genocide of my Palestinian brothers and sisters. This bill is designed to be a political shield intended to gaslight voters who have demanded real change.

Joey Ruzevich Democrat candidate 6th Congressional District

For decades, the United States has had the legal tools to stop arming human rights violators and has chosen to ignore them when it applies to the Israeli apartheid regime.

Under the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2378d), commonly known as the Leahy Law, the U.S. is prohibited from providing aid to any foreign security forces implicated in gross violations of human rights.

Under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. § 2754), U.S. weapons may only be used for legitimate self-defense and internal security; not collective punishment, not annexation, not forced displacement.

Under the Geneva Conventions, to which the United States is a party, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention: Article 33 prohibits collective punishment. Article 49 prohibits forcible transfer and deportation of protected persons and prohibits settlement of the occupying power’s civilians into occupied territory. Article 147 defines grave breaches, including willful killing and extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity.

Under the Genocide Convention, there is an obligation not only to punish genocide, but to prevent it. When a state continues to provide weapons and political masks while mass killing and starvation unfold, it is enabling genocide.

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, war crimes include intentional direct attacks against civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare. A law the United States, including Congressman Sean Casten, continue to ignore.

For decades, binding United Nations Security Council resolutions have made it clear that settlement expansion and annexation in the West Bank violate international law. Yet the United States, including our Congressman, Sean Casten, persistently provide weapons and political cover ups while those violations continue.

Congressman Sean Casten did not need a new bill to stop genocide. He needed the courage to enforce existing laws and to speak up and stand up for his Palestinian constituents and their cries for justice.

Instead, his bill creates layers of certifications, reports, monitoring groups, and waivers, while explicitly preserving U.S. weapons sales and aid to Israel. It also allows for a presidential waiver if deemed “vital to national security” and we have all seen how the US determines what is “vital to national security” when it applies to Israel.

Even the structure of the bill reinforces the same failed framework: it centers Israel’s “security” while Palestinians are reduced to humanitarian management and “technocratic committees.” It speaks of preventing annexation while decades of de facto annexation have already been funded with U.S. taxpayer dollars.

When you ignore genocide for two years, deliberately brush off your constituents’ pleas, and then suddenly roll out a bill in the final weeks of a contested primary, voters see exactly what’s happening. Your numbers are slipping, your opponent is gaining ground, and this is a rushed, failed, attempt to save face, not an act of courage.

For over 75 years, since the Nakba of 1948, the United States has funded, armed, and shielded Israel’s occupation, settlement expansion, apartheid policies, and now the destruction of Gaza.

If Congressman Sean Casten truly wanted to break from that history, he would call for an immediate, full suspension of all military aid to Israel. Demand enforcement of the Leahy Law and the Arms Export Control Act. Support accountability at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. Recognize that Palestinians are not a security problem to be managed, but a people entitled to freedom, equality, and the right to return to the land from which they were displaced.

Instead, we are handed a conditional compliance framework that preserves the core tenant of Congressman Sean Casten’s support of a genocide while offering just enough political jargon to survive a primary challenge.

We will not allow Congressman Sean Casten to gaslight us into believing that a last-minute, waiver-filled, five-year bill is justice for 75 years of occupation and two years of genocide.Most importantly, we will not forget his silence or his attacks on those who dared to hold him accountable for his complicity.

And I will not be silent while my community is erased.

Below is Casten’s Press Release

Casten Introduces the Ceasefire Compliance Act to Bolster Accountability and Oversight of U.S. Weapons in Gaza and the West Bank

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the Ceasefire Compliance Act, legislation that would ban the use of US-origin weapons in Gaza and the West Bank if Israel violates the October 10, 2025, ceasefire agreement and 20-point plan, annexes the West Bank, or fails to combat settler violence against Palestinians. The bill creates an end-use monitoring group and congressional oversight mechanisms to enforce this ban while exempting defensive missile systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3, and maintaining US support for Israel’s security.

US Congressman Sean Casten, 6th District, Illinois

Text of the bill can be found here. A two-page summary of the bill can be found here. A section-by-section of the bill can be found here.

“As one of the United States’ most important allies, Israel must ensure that its policies and the use of U.S. military assistance align with American values, interests, and the law,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “That starts with requiring compliance with the October 10, 2025, ceasefire agreement and the steps laid out in the 20-point plan, curbing settler violence, and rejecting annexation in the West Bank. This legislation creates clear enforcement mechanisms, transparency, and consequences when those conditions are not met. To be clear, it does not deny Israel the right to defend itself, and it preserves support for missile defense. It does, however, set guardrails to help sustain the ceasefire and keep a credible path toward long-term peace, with security for Israelis and freedom and self-determination for the Palestinian people.”

“The Ceasefire Compliance Act puts into law the common sense principle that American weapons cannot be used by the Israeli government in Gaza and the West Bank in ways that fundamentally violate American values and directly contravene U.S. interests,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “US assistance – whether aid or arms – should never come as a blank check. The CCA will ensure the Israeli government is held to agreements it has signed and abides by the ceasefire, allows a Palestinian governing council to take control of Gaza, and cannot annex the West Bank. Passing this bill is a critical step to lay the foundation for broader regional peace that creates a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel and guarantees Israel’s long-term security.”

“The Ceasefire Compliance Act recognizes a simple truth: American weapons must only be used in accordance with American laws and American values,” said Madeleine Cereghino, Director of Government Relations for New Jewish Narrative. “Conditioning their use on compliance with the ceasefire, on safeguarding civilians, and on ending unlawful annexation efforts is unfortunately necessary. This legislation honors the best of who we are as a country by insisting on accountability, transparency, and a clear path toward lasting security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

“The American people want a just and durable peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” said Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of Foreign Policy for America. “The Ceasefire Compliance Act ensures that U.S. taxpayer dollars aren’t used to undermine efforts to end the cycles of violence that for too long have threatened U.S. interests, put Americans’ lives at risk, and undermined America’s standing in the world.”

In addition to Rep. Casten, the Ceasefire Compliance Act is cosponsored by Reps. Madeleine Dean, Veronica Escobar, Chris Deluzio, Becca Balint, Jim McGovern, Jan Schakowsky, Ro Khanna, John Garamendi, Don Beyer, Jill Tokuda, Lloyd Doggett, Valerie Foushee, Mike Thompson, Sylvia Garcia, Doris Matsui, Derek Tran, Emily Randall, Jared Huffman, Mark Takano, Troy Carter, Chellie Pingree, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Marcy Kaptur, Betty McCollum, and Joaquin Castro.

The legislation has been endorsed by J Street, Foreign Policy for America, New Jewish Narrative, and Refugees International.

What The Ceasefire Compliance Act Does

This bill would condition U.S. arms transfers and restrict the use of U.S.-origin defense articles in Gaza and the West Bank if Israel violates the ceasefire agreement, 20-point plan, and related conditions. These include maintaining compliance with the October 10, 2025, ceasefire and steps tied to the 20-point plan, supporting sustained humanitarian access and aid, and refraining from annexation and actions that fuel violence, including continued settler violence in the West Bank. The bill creates an end-use monitoring group and strengthens congressional oversight mechanisms through recurring reporting and certifications to enforce this ban while exempting defensive missile systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3, and maintaining US support for Israel’s security.

Why the Ceasefire Compliance Act is Important

Enforcing the ceasefire: This bill is critical to increase pressure to enforce the ceasefire, given the multitude of threats to it, including:

Ongoing Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire in Gaza, which have killed over 600 Palestinians since the ceasefire began.
Ongoing restrictions and delay, which limit the consistent flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Political and practical obstacles to establishing the governance and security arrangements envisioned for Phase Two, which are necessary to keep the ceasefire durable and prevent a return to hostilities.

Implementing the second phase of the ceasefire will require sustained, intense pressure on all actors. While other US allies such as Qatar and Turkey can place pressure on Hamas, only the United States can ensure Israel adheres to its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and moves forward with the 20-point plan.

Supporting Israel’s security: By focusing on a ban of US arms in the Palestinian territories as an accountability mechanism for ceasefire compliance, this bill maintains support for Israel’s self-defense against legitimate security threats from Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

Security Safeguards: Nothing in this bill prevents Israel from defending itself, or the United States from assisting Israel in the event of another tragic attack. It also does not impose an automatic cutoff of U.S. arms transfers if Hamas resumes hostilities. The bill includes explicit language that:

Does not limit funds for air defense systems, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 3.
Does not prevent the United States from sharing intelligence or assisting Israel in defensive measures, including missile defense maintenance/resupply.
Does not prevent the United States from assisting Israel in protecting its territory from terrorist and other external threats.

Protecting the West Bank: Conditions in the West Bank have deteriorated severely in the past few years.

The Israeli government has failed to act against a massive escalation of settler attacks, despite the killings of Palestinian civilians, including American citizens.
Members of the Israeli government continue to pursue de facto and de jure annexation of the West Bank through both legal measures and settlement expansion.
Policies such as advancing construction plans in the E-1 corridor and changes to land administration and registration policies risk further fragmenting the territory and undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state.

This bill also strengthens Israel’s security by discouraging policies that lead to repeated cycles of war. Mass civilian casualties, humanitarian crises, and unchecked settler violence in the West Bank are moral stains on humanity and make Israel less safe and secure. Coupled with the Israeli government’s policies and acts of de facto or de jure annexation of the West Bank, Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank has fueled resentment and militancy, damaged Israel’s international standing, complicated prospects for expanding the Abraham Accords, and perpetuated a cycle of violence that harms Palestinians and Israelis. This bill seeks to incentivize policy changes that would reverse these damaging trends and recognizes that issues in the West Bank and Gaza are inextricably linked and must be addressed in tandem.

Ending the blank check: This bill redefines the system of US military aid to Israel, transforming it from a blank check to an accountability-based system that advances US strategic interests in the Middle East, aligns with American values, enhances Israel’s security, and protects Palestinian civilians. Through thorough oversight and tough enforcement mechanisms, it makes clear that actions undermining shared U.S. and Israeli interests and values will have consequences.