Palestinian families sue State Department over US support for Israeli military
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The lawsuit alleges that the State Department has deliberately circumvented a US human rights law to continue funding and supporting Israeli military units in Gaza and the West Bank.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Palestinian families sued the US State Department on Dec 17 over Washington’s support for Israel’s military amid its war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, a court filing showed.
The lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleges that the State Department under Secretary of State Antony Blinken deliberately circumvented a US human rights law to continue funding and supporting Israeli military units accused of atrocities in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Leahy Laws prohibit providing US military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice.
Both South Africa at the World Court and Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing genocide and war crimes
Washington faces criticism from human rights groups for maintaining its support for Israel with no major policy changes.
“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 Oct 7, 2023,” the lawsuit asserts.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 45,000 people, according to the local Health Ministry. The assault has also displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel
The lawsuit was filed by five Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the United States.
The lead plaintiff is a Gaza teacher who has been displaced seven times in the current war and has lost 20 family members, according to the lawsuit.
The State Department declined to comment and referred reporters to the Justice Department, which had no immediate comment. REUTERS
