Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Here's What Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held
Accountable for Atrocities
________________________________________
Here's What Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held
Accountable for Atrocities
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
April 4, 2016
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has piqued the temper of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and faces a rebuke from within his own party after
demanding for an investigation into "gross violations of human rights" by
Israel and Egypt, the top recipients of American military aid.
Released just days after an Israeli soldier was recorded [3]
extra-judicially assassinating a wounded Palestinian man in the occupied
West Bank city of Hebron, Leahy's demand for a probe is the latest sign that
American military backing for Israel's right-wing government is becoming a
source of political tension.
On February 17, Leahy (D-Vt.) and ten Democratic members of Congress sent a
letter [4] to Secretary of State John Kerry. "There have been a disturbing
number of reports of possible gross violations of human rights by security
forces in Israel and Egypt-incidents that may have involved recipients, or
potential recipients, of U.S. military assistance," states the document,
which was released to the public in late March. "We urge you to determine if
these reports are credible and to inform us of your findings."
The letter concludes that the U.S. could stand in violation of the Leahy law
[5] (named after the Vermont Senator), a legal framework aimed at preventing
American military aid to "any unit of the security forces of a foreign
country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit
has committed a gross violation of human rights."
"Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported
what may be extrajudicial killings by the Israeli military and police of
Fadi Alloun, Saad Al-Atrash, Hadeel Hashlamoun, and Mutaz Ewisa," the letter
states. "There are also reports of the use of torture in the cases of Wasim
Marouf and Ahmed Manasra."
Writing [6] for Mondoweiss, Philip Weiss noted that "many of the
signatories, including Hank Johnson, Andre Carson, Eddie Bernice Johnson,
Eleanor Holmes Norton and Raul Grijalva, are people of color; this is
relevant because as Tamara Cofman Wittes said [7] at Columbia Monday night,
Israel support is slowly becoming politicized in the U.S. as the Democratic
base becomes more heavily black and Latino, groups that have sympathy for
the Palestinian cause."
Leahy's letter is notable for placing Israeli violations alongside Egyptian
atrocities-including the 2013 Rab'aa Square massacre [8]-a rare move in a
U.S. political climate where Israel is often deemed above reproach. The
United States hands $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel every year,
compared to roughly 1.5 billion to Egypt, which funds the country's brutally
repressive military junta according to the guidelines of the Camp David
Accords. Together, these two countries accounted for [9] more than 75
percent of global U.S. military assistance in 2014.
The joint condemnation was met with sharp criticism from Ben Cardin, the
ranking Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a
top recipient [10] of contributions from the pro-Israel lobby. "There's no
comparison here," Cardin told [11] the publication Forward, according to an
article published Sunday. "Israel has rule of law," Cardin continued. "They
have a system that will hold those individuals accountable. There's no
equivalency here."
Netanyahu lashed out [12] last Wednesday, declaring: "The IDF and Israeli
police do not engage in executions. Israel's soldiers and police officers
defend themselves and innocent civilians with the highest moral standards
against bloodthirsty terrorists who come to murder them."
At 972 Magazine, Dahlia Scheindlin called [13] Netanyahu's response a
"strange string of lies." A report released by Amnesty International in
February 2014 found [14] that Israel is killing and wounding Palestinians
with impunity, including children. Those findings were soon followed by
Israel's 51-day military assault on the Gaza strip, in which it killed at
least 2,145 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians and at least 578 of
them children.
According to Defense for Children International - Palestine, at least [15]
28 Palestinian children were "fatally shot by Israeli forces in 2015," due
in part to Israel's implementation of a shoot-to-kill policy in response to
rising tensions and resistance.
Leahy also hit back against Netanyahu's claims, arguing [16] on Wednesday
that "The Leahy Law, which has existed for nearly 20 years, applies
uniformly, worldwide-no country is exempt-and it applies to specific
military personnel and units, not to general security forces, when U.S. aid
is involved." He continued, "This is only fair to U.S. taxpayers, and it is
necessary in upholding the rule of law that our country stands for."
Escalating the global dispute, the Israeli prime minister reportedly [17]
called Kerry on the phone Friday and demanded that the Secretary of State
declare that Israel is not guilty of extrajudicial assassinations.
The ongoing tangle comes as Netanyahu demands [18] a military aid hike of
$4.5 billion a year.
But Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American Friends
Service Committee, told AlterNet, "The Netanyahu administration is being so
extreme in its policies and practices that their actions are making it
impossible to maintain the U.S. policies of a blank check."
According to Suzanne Adely, co-chair of the international committee of the
National Lawyers Guild, "The 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza and the 2013
Rab'aa Massacre have represented turning points, as more voices among
mainstream media, government officials and ordinary U.S. citizens say
enough."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [19].
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [20]
[21]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/heres-what-happens-when-us-senator-
calls-israel-be-held-accountable-atrocities
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/watch-israelis-rally-soldier-who-ex
ecuted-palestinian-rage-netanyahu-not-cheering
[4] http://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000153-c56c-d662-a75b-cfecc6be0000
[5] https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2378d
[6]
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/israels-killing-of-hadeel-hashlamoun-18-is-cit
ed-as-possible-gross-human-rights-violation-by-group-of-congresspeople/
[7]
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/senior-advisor-to-clinton-calls-obamas-desire-
to-withdraw-from-mideast-strange-bizarre-illogical-odd/
[8]
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/16/rabaa-massacre-egypt-human-righ
ts-watch
[9] http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/us-foreign-aid-report/
[10] http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all
[11]
http://forward.com/news/national/337539/senate-battle-erupts-over-charges-is
rael-violates-human-rights/
[12] https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]
http://972mag.com/netanyahu-responds-to-leahy-with-a-strange-string-of-lies/
118268/
[14] https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE15/002/2014/en/
[15]
http://www.alternet.org/At%2520least%252028%2520Palestinian%2520children%252
0were%2520fatally%2520shot%2520by%2520Israeli%2520forces%2520in%25202015.%25
20In%2520several%2520cases%2C%2520DCIP%2520found%2520that%2520children%2520d
id%2520not%2520pose%2520a%2520direct%2C%2520mortal%2520threat%2520%2520at%25
20the%2520time%2520they%2520were%2520killed.
[16]
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-patrick-leahy-responds-to-prime-m
inister-netanyahu-about-the-worldwide-application-of-the-leahy-law
[17]
http://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-asks-kerry-to-back-israel-on-extrajudicial-k
illings-allegations/
[18]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/netanyahu-bringing-4-5-bil
lion-a-year-arms-wish-list-to-obama
[19] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[20] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Here's What
Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held Accountable for
Atrocities
[21] http://www.alternet.org/
[22] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Here's What Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held
Accountable for Atrocities
Here's What Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held
Accountable for Atrocities
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
April 4, 2016
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has piqued the temper of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and faces a rebuke from within his own party after
demanding for an investigation into "gross violations of human rights" by
Israel and Egypt, the top recipients of American military aid.
Released just days after an Israeli soldier was recorded [3]
extra-judicially assassinating a wounded Palestinian man in the occupied
West Bank city of Hebron, Leahy's demand for a probe is the latest sign that
American military backing for Israel's right-wing government is becoming a
source of political tension.
On February 17, Leahy (D-Vt.) and ten Democratic members of Congress sent a
letter [4] to Secretary of State John Kerry. "There have been a disturbing
number of reports of possible gross violations of human rights by security
forces in Israel and Egypt-incidents that may have involved recipients, or
potential recipients, of U.S. military assistance," states the document,
which was released to the public in late March. "We urge you to determine if
these reports are credible and to inform us of your findings."
The letter concludes that the U.S. could stand in violation of the Leahy law
[5] (named after the Vermont Senator), a legal framework aimed at preventing
American military aid to "any unit of the security forces of a foreign
country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit
has committed a gross violation of human rights."
"Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported
what may be extrajudicial killings by the Israeli military and police of
Fadi Alloun, Saad Al-Atrash, Hadeel Hashlamoun, and Mutaz Ewisa," the letter
states. "There are also reports of the use of torture in the cases of Wasim
Marouf and Ahmed Manasra."
Writing [6] for Mondoweiss, Philip Weiss noted that "many of the
signatories, including Hank Johnson, Andre Carson, Eddie Bernice Johnson,
Eleanor Holmes Norton and Raul Grijalva, are people of color; this is
relevant because as Tamara Cofman Wittes said [7] at Columbia Monday night,
Israel support is slowly becoming politicized in the U.S. as the Democratic
base becomes more heavily black and Latino, groups that have sympathy for
the Palestinian cause."
Leahy's letter is notable for placing Israeli violations alongside Egyptian
atrocities-including the 2013 Rab'aa Square massacre [8]-a rare move in a
U.S. political climate where Israel is often deemed above reproach. The
United States hands $3.1 billion in military aid to Israel every year,
compared to roughly 1.5 billion to Egypt, which funds the country's brutally
repressive military junta according to the guidelines of the Camp David
Accords. Together, these two countries accounted for [9] more than 75
percent of global U.S. military assistance in 2014.
The joint condemnation was met with sharp criticism from Ben Cardin, the
ranking Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a
top recipient [10] of contributions from the pro-Israel lobby. "There's no
comparison here," Cardin told [11] the publication Forward, according to an
article published Sunday. "Israel has rule of law," Cardin continued. "They
have a system that will hold those individuals accountable. There's no
equivalency here."
Netanyahu lashed out [12] last Wednesday, declaring: "The IDF and Israeli
police do not engage in executions. Israel's soldiers and police officers
defend themselves and innocent civilians with the highest moral standards
against bloodthirsty terrorists who come to murder them."
At 972 Magazine, Dahlia Scheindlin called [13] Netanyahu's response a
"strange string of lies." A report released by Amnesty International in
February 2014 found [14] that Israel is killing and wounding Palestinians
with impunity, including children. Those findings were soon followed by
Israel's 51-day military assault on the Gaza strip, in which it killed at
least 2,145 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians and at least 578 of
them children.
According to Defense for Children International - Palestine, at least [15]
28 Palestinian children were "fatally shot by Israeli forces in 2015," due
in part to Israel's implementation of a shoot-to-kill policy in response to
rising tensions and resistance.
Leahy also hit back against Netanyahu's claims, arguing [16] on Wednesday
that "The Leahy Law, which has existed for nearly 20 years, applies
uniformly, worldwide-no country is exempt-and it applies to specific
military personnel and units, not to general security forces, when U.S. aid
is involved." He continued, "This is only fair to U.S. taxpayers, and it is
necessary in upholding the rule of law that our country stands for."
Escalating the global dispute, the Israeli prime minister reportedly [17]
called Kerry on the phone Friday and demanded that the Secretary of State
declare that Israel is not guilty of extrajudicial assassinations.
The ongoing tangle comes as Netanyahu demands [18] a military aid hike of
$4.5 billion a year.
But Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American Friends
Service Committee, told AlterNet, "The Netanyahu administration is being so
extreme in its policies and practices that their actions are making it
impossible to maintain the U.S. policies of a blank check."
According to Suzanne Adely, co-chair of the international committee of the
National Lawyers Guild, "The 2014 Israeli assault on Gaza and the 2013
Rab'aa Massacre have represented turning points, as more voices among
mainstream media, government officials and ordinary U.S. citizens say
enough."
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [19].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [20]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[21]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/heres-what-happens-when-us-senator-
calls-israel-be-held-accountable-atrocities
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/watch-israelis-rally-soldier-who-ex
ecuted-palestinian-rage-netanyahu-not-cheering
[4] http://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000153-c56c-d662-a75b-cfecc6be0000
[5] https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2378d
[6]
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/israels-killing-of-hadeel-hashlamoun-18-is-cit
ed-as-possible-gross-human-rights-violation-by-group-of-congresspeople/
[7]
http://mondoweiss.net/2016/03/senior-advisor-to-clinton-calls-obamas-desire-
to-withdraw-from-mideast-strange-bizarre-illogical-odd/
[8]
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/16/rabaa-massacre-egypt-human-righ
ts-watch
[9] http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/us-foreign-aid-report/
[10] http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all
[11]
http://forward.com/news/national/337539/senate-battle-erupts-over-charges-is
rael-violates-human-rights/
[12] https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13]
http://972mag.com/netanyahu-responds-to-leahy-with-a-strange-string-of-lies/
118268/
[14] https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE15/002/2014/en/
[15]
http://www.alternet.org/At%2520least%252028%2520Palestinian%2520children%252
0were%2520fatally%2520shot%2520by%2520Israeli%2520forces%2520in%25202015.%25
20In%2520several%2520cases%2C%2520DCIP%2520found%2520that%2520children%2520d
id%2520not%2520pose%2520a%2520direct%2C%2520mortal%2520threat%2520%2520at%25
20the%2520time%2520they%2520were%2520killed.
[16]
https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/senator-patrick-leahy-responds-to-prime-m
inister-netanyahu-about-the-worldwide-application-of-the-leahy-law
[17]
http://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-asks-kerry-to-back-israel-on-extrajudicial-k
illings-allegations/
[18]
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/netanyahu-bringing-4-5-bil
lion-a-year-arms-wish-list-to-obama
[19] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[20] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Here's What
Happens When a U.S. Senator Calls for Israel to Be Held Accountable for
Atrocities
[21] http://www.alternet.org/
[22] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
