(ConservativeInsider.org) – Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the Biden Administration, stated on Monday, March 18th that the U.S. is considering stopping arms sales to Israel if they do not submit a report confirming that the Jewish state is complying with international law in their war against Hamas.
On Monday, March 11th, a group of Senators sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to cease supplying Israel with offensive weapons for their war on Hamas until they lift restrictions on humanitarian aid going into Gaza. Of the eight Senators who signed the letter, seven are Democrats, and one, Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, is an independent. They suggested that Biden was violating the Foreign Assistance Act, which bans the US from providing military support to any country that “restricts the delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Senator Sanders emphasized that while Israel has the “right to defend itself,” they do not have the right to declare war against all Palestinians. He made a distinction between the US providing defensive aid to Israel, such as providing support for their Iron Dome, and providing the kind of military assistance that would be used for offensive purposes against those in the Gaza Strip.
Other critics of Israel have pointed out that by providing military aid to Israel, the US might be in violation of the 1997 Leahy amendment, which was designed to prevent the US from providing arms to foreign nations or militaries that have credible allegations of human rights violations. However, American officials have routinely ignored this amendment, such as the recent sale of fighter aircrafts to Turkey, who has massacred Kurdish people in Syria and Iraq.
According to the White House briefing transcript, Sullivan stated that as of March 19, Israel has not submitted their report that they are committed to respecting international humanitarian law, including “not arbitrarily impeding the flow” of aid to people in Gaza. However, he said that they have until Sunday, March 24 to submit that report, and he anticipates Israel will submit a report by then.
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