{"id":47122,"date":"2024-04-17T11:28:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T19:28:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=47122"},"modified":"2024-04-17T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T19:30:00","slug":"house-dems-voice-deep-concern-over-biden-claim-that-israel-is-legally-using-us-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2024\/04\/17\/house-dems-voice-deep-concern-over-biden-claim-that-israel-is-legally-using-us-arms\/","title":{"rendered":"26 House Dems Voice &#8216;Deep Concern&#8217; Over Biden Claim That Israel Is Legally Using US Arms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>More than two dozen House Democrats on Tuesday challenged the Biden administration&#8217;s claim that <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/israel\">Israel<\/a> is using U.S.-supplied weapons in compliance with domestic and international law\u2014an assertion made amid an ongoing World Court probe of &#8220;plausibly&#8221; genocidal Israeli policies and practices in <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gaza\">Gaza. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Citing &#8220;mounting credible and deeply troubling reports and allegations&#8221; of human rights crimes committed by Israeli troops in Gaza and soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank, 26 congressional Democrats led by Texas Reps. Veronica Escobar\u2014who co-chairs President Joe Biden&#8217;s reelection campaign\u2014and Joaquin Castro <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/24549625-congressional-letter-on-nsm-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked<\/a> U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines &#8220;whether and how&#8221; their agencies determined Israel is lawfully using arms provided by Washington.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We write to express our deep concern regarding the U.S. Department of State&#8217;s recent comments regarding <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/israel-international-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">assurances<\/a> from the Israeli government, under National Security Memorandum (NSM) 20, that the Israeli government is using U.S.-origin weapons in full compliance with relevant U.S. and international law and is not restricting the delivery of humanitarian assistance,&#8221; the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Cabinet members.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">These 26 members of Congress \u2014 including Rep. Veronica Escobar, who co-chairs Joe Biden&#39;s 2024 campaign \u2014 are pressing the Biden administration to explain how exactly it has found Israel to not be violating international law: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lqOBnCcYej\">https:\/\/t.co\/lqOBnCcYej<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ookbznri35\">pic.twitter.com\/Ookbznri35<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prem_thakker\/status\/1780332867236561045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The letter acknowledges the &#8220;grave concerns&#8221; of institutions and experts around the world regarding Israel&#8217;s &#8220;conduct throughout the war in Gaza, its policies regarding civilian harm and military targeting, unauthorized expansion of settlements and settler violence in the West Bank, and potential use of U.S. arms by settlers, in additional to limitations on humanitarian aid supported by the U.S.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The legislators noted Israeli attacks on aid convoys, workers, and recipients\u2014like the February 29 &#8221; <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/idf-starving-gazans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flour Massacre<\/a>&#8221; in which nearly 900 starving Palestinians were killed or wounded at a food distribution site\u2014and &#8220;the closure of vital border crossings&#8221; as Gazan children <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/gaza-children-starvation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">starve to death<\/a> as causes for serious concern.<\/p>\n<p>While the lawmakers didn&#8217;t mention the International Court of Justice&#8217;s January 26 <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/watch-live-international-court-of-justice-delivers-ruling-in-israel-genocide-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">preliminary finding<\/a> that Israel is &#8220;plausibly&#8221; committing genocide in Gaza, their letter highlights the &#8220;stark differences and gaps in the statements&#8221; made by Biden administration officials and &#8220;those made by <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/legal-scholars-israel-genocide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prominent experts<\/a> and <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/gaza-genocide-2667597341\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">global institutions<\/a>&#8220;\u2014many of whom accuse Israel of genocide.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers&#8217; letter came amid reports of fresh Israeli atrocities, including a drone strike on a playground in the Maghazi refugee camp in northern Gaza that killed at least 11 children. Eyewitnesses <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moroccoworldnews.com\/2024\/04\/362095\/at-least-11-children-killed-in-new-israeli-attack-on-gaza-refugee-camp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">described<\/a> a &#8220;horrific scene of children torn apart.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Israel firing a missile at a playground full of children\u2014adding to the thousands of children they\u2019ve already killed\u2014will get less media attention than Iran firing missiles it telegraphed well in advance, in response to an attack on its embassy, that hit nothing and killed no one. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4ynCNYVuqv\">https:\/\/t.co\/4ynCNYVuqv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Assal Rad (@AssalRad) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AssalRad\/status\/1780280596490788986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>While Biden has called out Israel&#8217;s &#8220;<a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/israel-indiscriminate-bombing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indiscriminate bombing<\/a>&#8221; in Gaza\u2014much of it carried out using U.S.-supplied warplanes and munitions including <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/bombing-gaza\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2,000-pound bombs<\/a> that can level whole city blocks\u2014his administration has <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/biden-weapons-sales-israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approved<\/a> more than 100 arms sales to Israel, has <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/u-s-aid-to-israel-2666833315\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repeatedly sidestepped Congress<\/a> to fast-track emergency armed aid, and is <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/biden-request-arms-israel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seeking<\/a> to provide the key ally with billions of dollars in addition weaponry atop the nearly $4 billion it gets annually from Washington.<\/p>\n<p>This, despite multiple federal laws\u2014and the administration&#8217;s own rules\u2014 <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/u-s-arms-sales-to-israel-2667506147\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prohibiting<\/a> U.S. arms transfers to human rights violators.<\/p>\n<p>According to Palestinian and international officials, more than 110,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded by Israeli forces since October 7. Most of the dead are women and children. At least 7,000 Palestinians are also missing and presumed dead and buried beneath the rubble of hundreds of thousands of bombed-out homes and other buildings.<\/p>\n<p>Around 90% of Gaza&#8217;s 2.3 million people have been forcibly displaced in what many Palestinians are calling a second Nakba, a reference to the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Arabs from <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/palestine\">Palestine<\/a> during the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948.<\/p>\n<p>A growing number of not only progressive lawmakers but also mainstream Democrats are calling for a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">LIVE: The U.S. must use all its leverage to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and across the region and ensure humanitarian aid access. History will judge what we do right now. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7txMAmixHw\">https:\/\/t.co\/7txMAmixHw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenSanders\/status\/1780370741235511446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Sen. <a class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/bernie-sanders\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-Vt.)\u2014who was criticized earlier in the war for not calling for a cease-fire\u2014stood beside a photo of a starving Gazan girl while declaring &#8220;no more money for&#8221; the far-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his &#8220;war machine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><i>Brett Wilkins is is staff writer for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/\">Common Dreams<\/a>. Based in San Francisco, his work covers issues of social justice, human rights and war and peace. This originally appeared at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/\">CommonDreams<\/a> and is reprinted with the author\u2019s permission.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than two dozen House Democrats on Tuesday challenged the Biden administration&#8217;s claim that Israel is using U.S.-supplied weapons in compliance with domestic and international law\u2014an assertion made amid an ongoing World Court probe of &#8220;plausibly&#8221; genocidal Israeli policies and practices in Gaza. Citing &#8220;mounting credible and deeply troubling reports and allegations&#8221; of human rights [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":372,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-47122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"meta_box":{"disable_donate_message":"","custom_donate_message":"","subtitle":"A letter from 26 lawmakers notes the \"stark differences and gaps\" between what Biden administration officials say and the opinions of \"prominent experts and global institutions\" accusing Israel of genocide."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/372"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47122"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47150,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47122\/revisions\/47150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47122"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=47122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}