Block Weapons to Israel: Don’t Encourage War!

Dear @legislator_greeting,

I do not understand why the United States continues to supply the Israeli government with U.S. weapons. Israel’s incursions into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah are a major escalation of the ongoing war and only deepen the likelihood that the entire region could become immersed in conflict.

Israel has repeatedly failed to protect civilians in Gaza and engage in a meaningful effort to end the war and secure the release of the hostages.

A year of escalating war and violence cannot continue to be rewarded. I urge you to support efforts led by Senators Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, and Brian Schatz that would block the sale of lethal weapons to Israel through Joint Resolutions of Disapproval.

More weapons of war will only intensify this already terrible conflict and cause it to spread further. New weapons sales to Israel will send a message of impunity in the face of repeated violations of U.S. and international law.

Please use the leverage the United States has to act for peace and do not approve further arms sales to Israel.

What they’re saying: State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Tuesday that Israel has taken several steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in response to U.S. demands and stressed Israel still needs to take additional steps.

• “At this time we haven’t made an assessment that Israel is in violation of U.S. law. We are going to continue to watch and assess their compliance with U.S. law,” Patel said.
• He added that there is no change in U.S. policy regarding military assistance to Israel.
• “If we don’t continue to see steps in the appropriate direction we will enforce U.S. law,” Patel stressed.
• Patel pushed back on criticism that the Biden administration “is giving Israel a pass” and claimed the steps Israel has taken in recent days wouldn’t have happened without U.S. pressure.

U.S. won’t suspend military aid to Israel as Gaza deadline expires by Barak Ravid, Axios, 11/12/2024

Despite intensive diplomatic engagement by the United States and other countries, Israel has consistently failed to uphold its legal obligation to facilitate adequate humanitarian relief for civilians in Gaza during its ongoing military operation there. People are being starved in Gaza: Israeli military operations have denied them critical food aid and basic necessities, which has, in turn, caused conditions approaching famine for 800,000 Palestinian civilians across Gaza. Conditions are worst in Gaza’s north, where Israel launched a major operation in October that has cut off humanitarian aid to the area.

On October 13, 2024, the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense issued a letter demanding that Israel make concrete progress within 30 days on measures to reverse the spiraling humanitarian situation. These demands align with U.S. legal requirements under Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act, which requires that the President halt security assistance to any foreign government that restricts U.S. humanitarian aid. These are legislative requirements that will outlast specific Biden administration policies or initiatives, like the October 13 letter, and will apply to the incoming administration under President elect Trump. These requirements are also germane to other countries’ engagement with the Israeli government: these concrete metrics, demonstrating its failure to comply with U.S. law, underscores its failure to meet its obligations under international
humanitarian law as well.

Main Findings

Israel’s actions failed to meet any of the specific criteria set out in the U.S. letter. Israel not only failed to meet the U.S. criteria that would indicate support to the humanitarian response, but concurrently took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in Northern Gaza. That situation is in an even more dire state today than a month ago.

The principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee now assess that “the entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence.” The findings of this scorecard underscore Israel’s failure to comply with U.S. demands and international obligations. Israel should be held accountable for the end result of failing to ensure the adequate provision of food, medical, and other supplies to reach people in need.