Palestinians sue State Department over US assistance to Israel’s military
Al Jazeera
Lawsuit accuses Biden administration of violating US law barring aid to military units involved in rights abuses.
Five Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the United States are suing the US government to try to cut off American assistance to the Israeli military over its involvement in serious human rights abuses.
The lawsuit, announced on Tuesday, accuses the Department of State of failing to implement a federal law that prohibits the transfer of funds to foreign military units engaged in gross violations such as extrajudicial killings and torture.
“The State Department’s calculated failure to apply the Leahy Law is particularly shocking in the face of the unprecedented escalation of Israeli [gross violations of human rights] since the Gaza War erupted on October 7, 2023,” the lawsuit reads.
Israel’s bombardment and ground operations in Gaza have killed more than 45,000 Palestinians since early October 2023, and the United Nations and the world’s leading rights groups have accused the Israeli military of carrying out war crimes, including genocide.
The lead plaintiff in the case, a Gaza teacher referred to by the pseudonym Amal Gaza, has been forcibly displaced seven times since the war began and 20 of her family members have been killed in Israeli attacks.
