A group of Palestinians in Gaza and their American relatives filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming that the US is allowing Israel to bypass a law that prohibits foreign forces involved in human rights abuses from benefiting from US military aid.
The law in question is the 1997 Leahy Law, which prohibits the US government from funding foreign military forces if there is credible information implicating that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights.
The lawsuit argues that the US State Department has created exceptions for Israel to avoid enforcing this law, even after civilian deaths during the Gaza war with Hamas.
“It’s really a modest set of goals here: There’s a U.S. law. We’d like the federal government to adhere to U.S. law,” Ahmed Moor told the Associated Press (AP).
Moor is a Philadelphia-based Palestinian American who joined the lawsuit on behalf of his cousins, uncles, and aunts who were displaced and killed since October 7.
In October, representatives from Minnesota’s fourth district sent a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging them to enforce the Leahy Law.
“We strongly urge you to apply the law as written and act swiftly to bar any Israeli military unit that faces credible accusations of committing a gross violation of human rights from receiving U.S. assistance or training,” write the members.
However, the Biden Administration stated on November 12 that it will not limit arms transfers to Israel despite the devastating humanitarian crise in the Gaza Strip.