Trump Bypasses Congress to Give $3B in Weapons to Israel | Palestine Policy Roundup 03.03.25
Welcome to the Palestine Policy Roundup, a weekly publication of the IMEU Policy Project.
DC DEVELOPMENTS
💣 PRESIDENT TRUMP BYPASSES CONGRESS AGAIN TO SEND YET ANOTHER TRANCHE OF WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration is bypassing Congressional review to send more weapons to Israel for the second time in one month. Earlier in February, the Trump administration bypassed the informal Congressional notification process to push through more than $8 billion in weapons to Israel. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block those weapons transfers.
This latest weapons package includes more than 35,000 2,000-pound bombs, 4,000 warheads for those bombs, nearly 5,000 1,000-pound bombs and thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits for these bombs, and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers. The value of the weapons included in these notifications adds up to $3 billion, which will presumably be funded by American taxpayers even as prices continue to rise and Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts funding for vulnerable communities at home and abroad.
The Israeli military has deliberately used these US-supplied 2,000-pound bombs in high-density areas in Gaza several times, amplifying the carnage and destruction unleashed on Palestinians in the occupied territory. Nearly 70 Palestinians were killed in October 2023 when the Israeli military dropped at least one of these bombs on a crowded market in Jabalia–an incident that Amnesty International said must be investigated as a war crime.
Caterpillar D9 bulldozers have historically been used by Israel to illegally destroy houses in the West Bank and Gaza as part of Israel’s agenda of forcible displacement. The Israeli military has also used them during its ongoing invasion of the West Bank, which has displaced more than 40,0000 Palestinians. This shipment also takes on heightened significance in light of President Trump’s proposal to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians in violation of international law, and longstanding Israeli plans to forcibly transfer Palestinians from Gaza.
Fragments of US-supplied JDAMs have been found at the sites of several apparent war crimes in Gaza. At least 90 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike on a so-called safe zone in Al-Mawasi in June 2024. Fragments of at least one US-supplied JDAM kit were found at the site of the attack. The Israeli military also reportedly used 8 2,000-pound bombs in that attack.
Some of the weapons included in this package reflect an earlier Trump administration weapons package for Israel that included 1,000-pound bombs and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers. That package was valued at $1 billion, presumably to be funded by American taxpayers. Congress reportedly placed a hold on this weapons package following the informal notification, temporarily pausing formal notification as the “Four Corners” exercised its oversight authority. The administration is now seemingly circumventing that hold to send these weapons and more to Israel.
As Israel continues to violate the ceasefire and continues to sabotage efforts to maintain peace, sending these weapons would serve as a green light for Israel to continue its genocide in Gaza. Congress can prevent the delivery of these weapons by introducing and passing Joint Resolutions of Disapproval.
🛑 ANTONY BLINKEN REFUSED TO SANCTION ISRAELI MILITARY UNITS DESPITE CREDIBLE REPORTS OF ABUSE
The Washington Post revealed that former Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to sanction at least 2 Israeli military units for violating the Leahy Law, despite State Department officials finding that the units engaged in gross violations of human rights.
The units in question, Force 100 and Force 504, are involved in the arbitrary detention of Palestinians abducted from Gaza by the Israeli military and were found to be credibly accused of abuse of Palestinian detainees. In August 2024 the Israeli human rights NGO B’Tselem documented a broader pattern of torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody and described Israel’s prisons as a network of torture camps.
This is far from the only time that the Biden administration had refused to apply the Leahy Law to Israel. Secretary Blinken failed to act on recommendations by the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum–a special committee made up of State Department officials that reviews reports of potential violations of human rights by Israeli units–to sanction multiple Israeli military and police units in December 2023.
In May 2024, Blinken told Congress that he would not sanction 4 of 5 Israeli units that department officials had found to be credibly accused of violations of human rights. Blinken also refused to sanction the fifth unit, the Netzah Yehuda battalion, despite Israel’s failure to hold the unit accountable for the killing of Palestinian-American Omar Assad. Former State Department official Charles Blaha called that decision “contrary to the Leahy Law.”
Many critics have detailed how the Biden administration avoided applying the Leahy Law to Israel. Charles Blaha revealed how the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum process–a process unique to Israel–bears much of the blame for these failures to sanction Israel for violating the law. Even Senator Patrick Leahy himself has highlighted the unequal application of the law to Israel and called for it to be fairly applied.
❌ PRESIDENT TRUMP RESCINDS NATIONAL SECURITY MEMORANDUM 20–A POLICY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACTIVELY UNDERMINED
Last week, President Trump ordered the repeal of National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), a policy imposed by the Biden administration which ostensibly sought to ensure US-supplied weapons are not used in violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) by US allies. While this repeal is just the latest action that demonstrates the Trump administration’s disregard for the protection of human rights, the Biden administration’s consistent undermining of the policy in order to send weapons to Israel damaged its credibility while it was in place.
Despite reportedly receiving conclusions from two US government bodies that Israel was obstructing aid from entering Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lied to Congress when he testified that the US did not assess that Israel was doing so. Prior to his report, the now-shuttered US Agency for International Development reportedly sent a 17-page memo to Blinken that described Israel’s interference with aid efforts and turning away trucks full of aid. The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration had also determined that Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act should be triggered to halt weapons to Israel in response to Israel’s obstruction of aid.
The State Department’s report also said that it was reasonable to assess that Israel used US-provided weapons in ways that were “inconsistent” with IHL, but did not suspend weapons transfers to Israel. Independent reports released by human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and by an independent task force, spelled out exactly how US weapons were being used in violation of IHL, but were ignored by the Biden administration.
NSM-20 was issued by the Biden administration to sideline an amendment to the national security supplemental, which appropriated $14 billion in weapons for Israel, filed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and supported by 18 other Senators, to ensure US weapons can only be used in conformity with international and US law. At the time many noted that the memorandum did not have the force of law and its provisions could easily be ignored by the president without legal ramification.
While President Trump’s repeal signals to Israel and to the world that the US has little concern for IHL, it only serves as a final blow to a policy that the Biden administration undermined at every turn. The Biden administration's refusal to hold Israel accountable likely prolonged Israel’s genocide in Gaza and deepened US complicity in Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.
IN THE NEWS
📊 NEW POLL REVEALS A COLLAPSE IN SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AMONG DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS
A new poll published by Gallup revealed that Democrats’ and independents’ favorability rating of Israel has plummeted to the lowest levels in more than 20 years, with only 33% of Democrats and 48% of independents indicating they have favorable views of Israel. The poll also found that 60% of Democrats indicated an unfavorable view of Israel–the first time that the majority of a party has held an unfavorable view of Israel.
Gallup notes that this precipitous decline in favorability is likely a reflection of opposition among Democrats to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and President Donald Trump’s embrace of Israeli plans to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the illegally occupied Gaza Strip.
Many polls have shown a sharp increase in Democratic support for Palestinian rights and freedom. IMEU Policy Project’s recently published poll found that nearly 30% of Biden 2020 voters who did not vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 indicated that ending Israel’s violence in Gaza was the most important motivation for their vote. Additionally, a poll published by The Economist/YouGov found that 35% of Democrats sympathize more with Palestinians–more than 3.5 times as many as those who sympathize more with Israelis (9%).
These polls demonstrate a growing gap between Democratic Party leadership and the party’s voters. As the IMEU Policy Project’s poll demonstrated, Vice President Harris’ refusal to break with Biden over his support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza contributed to her electoral defeat. As the Democratic Party prepares for future elections, its leadership must listen to their voters by ending US support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians and supporting Palestinian rights and freedom instead.
⚖️ US NGO ASKS ICC TO INVESTIGATE BIDEN ADMIN OFFICIALS FOR COMPLICITY IN ISRAEL’S CRIMES IN GAZA
Last week, the US-based NGO Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) revealed that it had requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate the roles of President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in aiding and abetting and contributing to war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The 172-page submission includes evidence of the actions of these officials who provided military and diplomatic support to Israel in support of its genocidal campaign in Gaza. This includes, but is not limited to, the nearly $18 billion in weapons that the Biden administration approved for Israel despite clear evidence that Israel was using US-supplied weapons in violation of US and international law.
These allegations are supported by numerous public reports about the Biden administration’s refusal to hold Israel accountable. A report published by ProPublica revealed that National Security Council officials and senior State Department officials, including Secretary Blinken himself, repeatedly disregarded warnings of Israel’s violations of US and international law and classified material that was critical of Israel.
In November 2024, Blinken and Austin continued to supply weapons to Israel despite its refusal to meet benchmarks outlined in a letter that the secretaries sent regarding its obstruction of aid into Gaza. Their failure to immediately halt weapons shipments to Israel, both when Israel failed to meet the benchmarks and when Blinken and Austin initially recognized that Israel was obstructing aid to Gaza, was a clear violation of Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.
While the Biden administration is no longer in office, actions such as DAWN’s legal filing are crucial in documenting the administration’s complicity as the Trump administration continues to support Israel. Because US courts are unlikely to prosecute these officials for their crimes, the ICC is the only appropriate venue for justice.
PALESTINE/ISRAEL DEVELOPMENTS
🍎 ISRAEL VIOLATES CEASEFIRE WITH RETURN TO FULL OBSTRUCTION OF AID FROM ENTERING GAZA
Israel has once again imposed a complete blockade of humanitarian aid from entering Gaza in violation of US and international law. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is internationally wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza, explicitly stated that this measure is meant to force Hamas to accept alterations to the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu also noted that this move has the support of the Trump administration.
This announcement is a return to a strategy of using starvation as a weapon of war, a war crime that Human Rights Watch found Israel was committing. In response to the announcement, Oxfam described the conditions in Gaza after the ceasefire was first implemented as “apocalyptic” and “famine-like” and urged the international community to pressure Israel to end its obstruction of aid. This action also violates Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, a US law that if applied would immediately halt all weapons transfers to Israel.
This latest shut off of aid is a part of a pattern of Israel refusing to negotiate and attempting to sabotage the ceasefire agreement. Israel delayed its participation in negotiations for phase 2 of the ceasefire, which were supposed to begin in early February. When Israel finally sent a negotiation team, instead of discussing the next phase of the agreement, they asked for an extension of the ongoing phase. However, the ceasefire agreement provides for an extension of the current phase as long as negotiations for the next phase are ongoing.
Since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to resume Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Israel is clearly not committed to reaching the next phase of the agreement.
❄️ CHILDREN DYING FROM HYPOTHERMIA IN GAZA AS ISRAEL OBSTRUCTS AID
Over the last 3 weeks, at least 7 Palestinian children have died from hypothermia in Gaza as Israeli authorities continue to obstruct critical aid such as tarps and mobile homes while temperatures drop. Additionally, Israel’s genocidal destruction of homes is continuing to kill Palestinians despite the ceasefire. 90% of all Palestinians in Gaza were forcibly displaced by Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and 92% of all homes have been severely damaged or destroyed according to the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Gaza.
Many Palestinians have been left with flimsy tents to shelter themselves, which do little to protect them from the cold, wind, and rain, if they have any shelter at all. According to a February report by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israel had only allowed 10% of the 200,000 tents promised by the ceasefire deal into the occupied territory and had not allowed any of the 60,000 promised mobile homes to enter. Israel’s obstruction of this crucial aid threatens to derail the ceasefire, and is just one example of the many Israeli violations of the agreement.
Despite Israel’s agreement to allow tents and shelters to enter Gaza, many mobile homes remain obstructed and stuck in Egypt according to Al Jazeera. According to the Associated Press, Palestinians in Gaza also report a shortage of blankets and warm clothes.
🧸 TWO CHILDREN KILLED BY ISRAELI SOLDIERS AS WEST BANK INVASION CONTINUES
Last week the Israeli army shot and killed 12-year-old Ayman Nasser al-Haymouny and 13-year-old Rimas al-Amouri in two separate incidents in Hebron and Jenin, respectively. Rimas was shot in her family home, according to Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI-P), by an Israeli soldier who was stationed in an armored car less than 200 feet away from her. Ayman was killed while he was visiting relatives. Both children were targeted suddenly and without warning, according to DCI-P.
As of February 12th, 13 children had been killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the year, according to UNICEF. The Israeli military’s ongoing invasion of the West Bank, which began just a few days after the ceasefire in Gaza went into effect, has killed more than 60 Palestinians and displaced more than 40,000 over the last 6 weeks. Last month Israeli soldiers also killed 2-year-old Laila al-Khatib, who was shot by a sniper while her mother was feeding her. In addition, Israeli troops killed Sundus Jamal Shalabi, a 23-year-old Palestinian woman, who was eight months pregnant; she was killed while attempting to flee the Israeli invasion of the Nur Shams refugee camp.
This Israeli invasion has been one of the most intense and longest in the illegally occupied West Bank in more than 20 years. Last week, the Israeli military deployed tanks into Jenin for the first time in two decades. The humanitarian organization Oxfam called the invasion a “Gazafication” of the West Bank that is delaying and destroying vital humanitarian work. Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine Director for Human Rights Watch, also described the invasion as importing abuses from Gaza to the West Bank.
Photo: gloucester2gaza, via Wikimedia Commons.