An American news website reported Israeli attacks that claimed the lives of 3 Israeli prisoners and two women inside a church in Gaza, and the execution of 11 unarmed Palestinians in front of their families, which raised new international concern about Israel’s continued targeting of civilians in the besieged Strip.
The Fox news website said in its report that these killings – which attracted great international attention – came within the framework of the ground invasion launched by Israel as it continued its bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, which even its “loyal” ally, US President Joe Biden, described as “random.” .
However – the site says – Biden has continued to press for additional and unconditional aid to Israel, despite what some foreign affairs experts say that current American laws aimed at preserving human rights should have restricted the flow of such aid long ago.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced today that the death toll from the Israeli aggression had risen to 20,674 martyrs and 54,536 wounded since the seventh of last October.
The ministry added that the occupation committed – yesterday, Sunday – 25 massacres in the Gaza Strip, and that 250 Palestinians were martyred in Israeli raids during the past 24 hours, while 500 others were injured.
Former State Department official Josh Polis said, “We always treat Israel gently and leniently when it comes to potential human rights violations of any kind.”
Boulos is considered one of the most prominent critics of Biden’s policy towards Israel since his resignation from his position as Director of Congressional and Public Affairs in the office overseeing US arms sales, due to fears of the Israeli response to the attack of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7, 2023.
“When it comes to suspending or reducing lethal military aid, there is no indication that anyone is willing to take any actual steps,” Boulos added.
The United States provides more aid to Israel than any other country, amounting to about $3.8 billion annually, in recognition of the “special relationship” between the two parties dating back decades, according to the Fox website.
Bypass Congress
Biden now wants Congress to approve an additional $14.3 billion in aid to Israel as part of a larger package that also includes aid to Ukraine that had been suspended. The Fox report stated that Biden recently “bypassed” Congress and sold tank ammunition to Israel worth $106 million.
Biden administration officials told CNN that they are not currently considering placing conditions on aid beyond those already in federal law. They added that the United States expects Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law and for the Israeli army to conduct internal legal reviews of its strikes in advance.
But some foreign policy experts believe that these existing legal conditions do not adequately apply to Israel given the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza.
This includes policies aimed at preventing weapons from being sent to Israel that might help commit violations of international humanitarian law, or to foreign powers suspected of using US weapons to harm civilians.
Leahy’s law
However, Fox draws attention to the fact that there is one law in particular that has recently received much attention from progressive Democrats, which is the “Leahy Law.”
These experts argue that the United States may be “shirking” its legal duty to ensure that aid to Israel is not used to violate human rights.
The Fox report says that the purpose of the Leahy Act – which was first passed by Congress in 1997 – is to prevent the United States from engaging in serious crimes committed by foreign security forces that it supports, by cutting off aid to a specific unit if the United States has reliable information that the unit You committed a serious crime.
Riser: Our government acted as if the Leahy Law did not apply to (Israelis). As a result, there is a kind of culture of impunity – where they can do almost anything to the Palestinians without being held accountable.
No security forces, not even American ones, enjoy complete immunity from committing such violations, according to the report.
The news site quoted a US State Department spokesman – whose name was not mentioned – as saying that the Leahy Law applies to all countries, including Israel, and that the authorization granted meets the requirements stipulated in the law.
However, the report attributes some former administration officials and Congressional staff to saying that the law would not have been applied against Israel, despite what human rights experts – whether inside or outside the US government – have identified as objective evidence that Israel committed human rights violations before and during its current war in Gaza.
“Our government has acted as if the Leahy Act does not apply to (Israelis),” said Tim Riser, a senior adviser to former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Va.) who was a key architect of the law. “As a result, there is a kind of culture of impunity where they can He did almost anything for the Palestinians without being held accountable.”