Israel Uses US Weapons To Repeatedly Cross Biden’s Red Line | Palestine Policy Roundup 05.31.2024
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
👀 ICYMI: MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPEAK OUT
Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The ICC prosecutor is right to issue arrest warrants for political leaders who engage in war crimes. The global community must uphold international law. Without these standards of decency & morality, the planet may rapidly descend into anarchy, never-ending wars, and barbarism.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley: “The Israeli govt’s assault on Gaza is preventing critical aid from reaching innocent civilians in Rafah. Millions of Palestinians are on the brink of famine. Netanyahu must halt the operation in Rafah & we need a #CeasefireNOW to surge aid, release the hostages, and save lives.”
Rep. Cori Bush: “Our government always finds money for war, but never finds enough when it comes to canceling student debt or funding public education. I joined @StrikeDebt, @RepRashida, and advocates to urge Congress to fund education, not the genocide of Palestinians.”
Rep. Lloyd Doggett: “As former Sen Leahy affirms: ‘American taxpayers do not want to fund human rights violations.’ Time for Biden Admin to enforce US law. Netanyahu’s bombing of Palestinians and obstruction of humanitarian relief for Gaza requires suspension of offensive weapon shipments to Israel.”
Rep. Hank Johnson: “[Netanyahu] appears hell-bent on wiping out the population of Gaza, I don’t see what would necessitate … a joint address to the Congress by a man who has been charged internationally for committing crimes against humanity.”
DC DEVELOPMENTS
⚖️ CONGRESS MUST REJECT ATTACKS AGAINST ICC AS PROSECUTOR SEEKS ARREST WARRANTS FOR NETANYAHU, GALLANT, HAMAS LEADERS
On May 20, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan announced the filing of applications for arrest warrants of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced that he is pursuing bipartisan legislation to sanction the ICC. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that he welcomed the opportunity to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to sanction the ICC.
Neither Congress nor the Biden administration should sanction the ICC because obstructing the ICC from pursuing accountability for those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity compromises the stated commitment of the Biden administration and Congress to center human rights in US foreign policy. Additionally, the ICC is seeking to hold all actors accountable for their actions. Applying the same set of standards to all is moral, legal, and political consistency, not an equivalency as claimed by the Biden administration and some Members of Congress. It would be dangerous for Congress or President Biden to undermine the authority of the ICC to protect Israeli officials responsible for plausible acts of genocide in Gaza.
📖 LEARN MORE: Read the IMEU Policy Project’s policy memo on why Congress must uphold accountability at the ICC and reject efforts to re-impose Trump-era sanctions on the court.
REPUBLICANS PUSH ANOTHER DANGEROUS BILL TO FORCE MORE WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
The House Foreign Affairs Committee reported the Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to Israel’s Security Act to the House this week. The bill would empower Members of Congress to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval against a pause of weapons shipments to Israel. Lillian Mauldin and Janet Abou-Elias pointed out in an op-ed in The Hill that this law would serve to undermine the validity of arms control laws by creating an exception for Israel and would set a dangerous precedent to allow other exceptions to be codified. This bill is yet another assault on the rule of law and could prevent future administrations from following US and international law.
💡 POLICY ASK: The IMEU Policy Project urges Members of Congress to oppose this bill and vote no if it is brought to the floor for a vote.
IN THE NEWS
PATRICK LEAHY CALLS FOR APPLICATION OF THE LEAHY LAW TO ISRAEL
Former Senator Patrick Leahy called for the application of the Leahy law to Israel in an op-ed published in the Washington Post this week. Leahy documented the special treatment of Israel by the State Department and its failure to apply the Leahy Law to Israel. The application of the Leahy law has come under increasing scrutiny after reporting from ProPublica revealed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken dragged his feet on recommendations to sanction Israeli units and informed Congress that four units found to have committed credible human rights abuses were remediated. Reacting to the latter reporting, Leahy pointed out that “two of those cases involved the fatal shooting of unarmed Palestinians for which the Israeli soldiers served little or no time in prison.” Congress must urge the Secretary of State to comply with the Leahy Law and sanction Israeli military units that have committed gross violations of human rights.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAY: “Since the Leahy law was passed, not a single Israeli security force unit has been deemed ineligible for U.S. aid, despite repeated, credible reports of gross violations of human rights and a pattern of failing to appropriately punish Israeli soldiers and police who violate the rights of Palestinians. … according to the State Department, in the decades-long history of the Leahy law, only five Israeli security force units have committed a gross violation of human rights, of which four were appropriately punished. That not only beggars credulity; it also makes a mockery of the law.”
📊 NEW POLL REVEALS IMPACT OF BIDEN’S SUPPORT FOR GENOCIDE IN GAZA ON REELECTION CAMPAIGN
A new poll released this week by Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) found that one in five voters in five battleground states say that President Biden’s support for genocide in Gaza makes them less likely to support his re-election. The poll also found that at least forty percent of Democratic and independent voters in each state said that they would be more likely to support Biden if there were a permanent ceasefire and aid to Israel was conditioned. As the presidential campaign grows more competitive, it is becoming even more clear that the president’s support for the Israeli assault on Gaza is imperiling his re-election campaign; if he is serious about retaining the support of important members of his base, then he must change course on Gaza immediately.
☑️ UNCOMMITTED MOVEMENT DEMONSTRATES DEMOCRATIC DISCONTENT WITH BIDEN IN MARYLAND, KENTUCKY
Recent Democratic primary elections in Maryland and Kentucky continue to demonstrate Democratic discontent with the Biden administration’s policy on Gaza. The uncommitted movement won at least five delegates in Kentucky where more than 30,000 voters registered their disapproval of the president. In Maryland, more than 50,000 voters chose uncommitted during the Democratic presidential primary election there. The uncommitted movement has 28 delegates in the Democratic primary race so far, signifying that many Democrats who the president needs in order to win in November are unhappy with his Gaza policy.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
ISRAELI FORCES RAID JENIN IN THE WEST BANK, KILL AT LEAST 10 PALESTINIANS
Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians during their invasion of Jenin in the West Bank this week. Among those killed were four children and a doctor and a teacher. Israeli forces reportedly shot at moving cars and civilians in the city.
Since October, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 513 Palestinians in the West Bank. 2024 is already one of the deadliest years in the West Bank on record. Over the past seven months, Israel has intensified its violent repression of Palestinians there, using its genocide in Gaza as cover to worsen its oppression of Palestinians everywhere and steal more and more of their land.
With all eyes on Gaza, Israel has escalated its atrocities in the West Bank to little global awareness or outcry. As the call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza grows louder, this stance is incomplete without calling for an end to Israel’s brutal, decades-long military occupation and racist apartheid regime. Palestinians deserve safety and total freedom from Israel’s oppression wherever they live.
INVESTIGATION FINDS GAZA AID BLOCKADES SUPPORTED BY ISRAELI FORCES
The Guardian reported this week that members of the Israeli police and military are facilitating the blocking and vandalization of aid convoys sent to Gaza by tipping off groups of Israeli settlers and anti-Palestinian activists about their locations. Many videos on social media have shown Israeli settlers destroying aid being sent to Gaza and attacking truck drivers who they think are carrying aid to Gaza. Despite this compelling evidence, the State Department’s report on Israel’s assurances under the NSM-20 recently concluded that Israel is not blocking humanitarian aid. These actions clearly violate US laws and policies about weapons transfers to Israel, especially Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act. Congress must keep up the pressure on the Biden administration to follow those laws and policies and halt all weapons to Israel.
UN SUSPENDS FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN RAFAH DUE TO ISRAELI INVASION, LACK OF SUPPLIES
The United Nations suspended food distribution in Rafah this week due to a lack of supplies and the dire security situation caused by Israel’s invasion of Rafah. The UN also expressed that humanitarian operations elsewhere in Gaza were at risk of collapse. More than 800,000 people have fled Rafah since Israel began its invasion, but the Biden administration continues to wrongly assert that Israel’s invasion in Rafah is targeted and limited. Those who have fled Rafah have said that the humanitarian area outlined by Israel lacks essential resources like shelter. Alaa Hassan, a refugee from Rafah who spoke to the Washington Post about the humanitarian area, said “[t]here is no drinking water, sanitation or even bathrooms.”
The Israeli invasion of Rafah is clearly not limited, and Israel does not have a humanitarian plan for the nearly one million people who have been forcibly displaced yet again. This clearly crosses President Biden’s “red line” on Rafah; the president must live up to his promise to halt all weapons shipments to Israel.
📷 PHOTOS: Photos of satellite imagery of Rafah published by Haaretz revealed the scale of destruction in Rafah and cast doubt on claims that this invasion is limited. According to US researchers who analyzed satellite data, 38.5 percent of the buildings in Rafah have been damaged or destroyed.