News flash, Democrats, no matter how you slice it, if you put your name to the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, you will be breaking the Leahy Law even with this little loophole just added to the Israel/Ukraine/border bill. Republicans would also be breaking the Leahy Law but they openly do not care about international law or human rights, it’s the Democrats who put on a show like they do and this is a prime example of the Dems doing just that, putting on a performative show like they respect international law.
This new stipulation for the Israel/Ukraine funding bill (ENSSAA) asks that the countries which are provided arms and military funding, do not use US arms or money to break international law with their assurance that they will follow international law. This completely disregards the Leahy Law which scrutinizes governments that receive arms, analyzes their abuses, visits the country to review the use of these weapons and if they are in compliance with international law. Oh, but now countries just need to sign a note saying they promise not to break international law and we’ll totally believe them. Israel has historically broken international law with impunity and the US will now accept their word that they will not use these weapons to break international law? The same Israel that claims they allow ample humanitarian aid into Gaza while the entire population of Gaza is starving? The same Israel that has destroyed hospitals in Gaza and left babies to die because of command centers that were never found? The same Israel that is shooting and bombing innocent Palestinians and claiming that they are human shields?
The Senate already voted against a bill presented by Bernie Sanders that would have investigated Israel for human rights violations in a vote of 72-11. At least 11 senators agreed in the investigation into the atrocities that Israel has committed but nothing has progressed into actively investigating and holding Israel accountable for breaking international laws and war crimes. If this bill had passed, Israel would not have received any military funding which is why it was opposed.
Forget an investigation because the US will accept your promise to comply with international law. What is very odd is that the leader of the Kataib Hezbollah that was assassinated by the US in Iraq just days ago promised to not attack any more US forces, but the US chose to kill him then hold this militia to their word. Apparently the US only accepts promises from countries at their own choosing and not out of diplomacy. Remember, the US had already killed 16 innocent Iraqis and members of the Kataib Hezbollah already but continued airstrikes on Iraq despite given reassurances the militia would not attack. This shows the US has no moral ground to stand on regarding international law in the first place, and accepts promises from war criminals they deem moral while attacking other war criminals and refusing their assurances.
These insistences from the Democrats for these promises from Israel is a classic case of covering my a** and nothing more. Portraying this as some noble step to ensure that humanitarian law is respected and upheld is absolutely deceptive. The Democrats know that Israel will use these weapons for their genocide. But now if the world questions the US and accuses them with the accusation that, “You have provided Israel with the tools for their genocide,” the US can wave these little promise notes that Israel signed so the US does not need to be held accountable. We can believe the promises of Israel over a militia group despite both groups having rampant human rights violations and both breaking international law. Democrats can deceive everyone with the semblance that they are upholding international law when they are not doing anything actionable to ensure that international law is not broken.
What should the Democrats do to actually uphold international law? They must write a provision for this bill that requires all arm shipments be subjected to the Leahy Law and until the process is complete, that country cannot receive any military funding. These reports should be made public prior to funding Israel.
Why won’t Democrats write a stipulation for this funding bill to comply with the Leahy Law and offer transparency? If they do, they know Israel will never receive funding which then will affect their campaign donations. This little loophole that they concocted is nothing more than smoke and mirrors to look like they are following international law while not doing anything that actually supports international law. The Senate already voted against a bill to investigate Israel’s war crimes and withhold funding, but they don’t want transparency so they will lie to the public and tell us Israel is following the Geneva Convention. This little assurance is so they cannot be held accountable.
The US had once signed the Arms Trade Treaty but Trump removed the US from the treaty agreement and Biden never agreed that the US would now support the treaty, which would have added another level of protection to the US sale of arms to groups or governments that breaks international law and human rights. Biden campaigned on the fact that he would rejoin the treaty but has taken no steps toward joining the ATT again. The only law that US has to be held accountable in regards to human rights and international law is the Leahy Law, but the US government and military are obviously disregarding that law and not providing honest or transparent reports on the vetting process to the media or public on the use of US arms and funding to Israel or other governments that have horrific human rights violations like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Even the Leahy Law is limited in scope because it does allow for funding to these governments, just not to the specific offending branches or offices of the military that breaks international laws so those governments will still receive some form of funding even with human rights violations. The Arms Trade Treaty would have restricted the sale of arms to violators of international law, which is why the US never resigned the treaty because it would have affected US sales of arms. The US is the biggest exporter of arms in the world and profits from arms trade.
US officials have proclaimed that the Israeli government is fully vetted under the Leahy Law and that Israel has met all the necessary steps to accept arms and funding from the US. If that were the case then the senate bill that required an investigation into the Israeli governments war on Gaza and their human rights violations would have passed without concern to prove to Americans and the world that Israel has done nothing wrong, but this bill was not passed because there are violations that the US cannot explain away.
The US government will never join the ATT again and is doing its best to dance around the Leahy Law. How are Americans expected to follow the law when US officials do nothing but their best attempts to skirt the law, or ignore it because they feel they are above the law? They really think they can hide behind immunity, and that is their get out of jail free card. The more US elected officials dismiss laws, the more the public loses faith in them and the system as a whole and reinforces public lawlessness. Why should Americans follow the law if elected officials do not? Everyone should take their tickets to court and provide evidence of the widespread government abuses and instances of repeatedly breaking US laws and international laws, then ask the judge why we are held to the laws when elected officials are not? We have to pay for our tickets and when we break the law, but there is no accountability on the side of elected officials and their actions. Our system protects those in power while further oppressing those who are not.
Flagrantly ignoring the Leahy Law should come at a price for elected officials who support the Israel genocide bill.
Funding Israel means that you are funding a genocide. Arming Israel means you are arming a country committing genocide. The US is then complicit in genocide and breaking international laws.
VOTE THEM ALL OUT
That is where we can hold them accountable. Vote out everyone from Congress and let’s start fresh with more parties and greater representation that listens to voters. From there we can start to rebalance our system and put power in the hands of the people versus elected officials who prove to only abuse power.
From the river to the sea, may Palestine be free. May the whole world be free.
Protest
Vote 3rd party
Boycott
Donate
Vote them all out.
BE UNGOVERNABLE
Demand sanctions and embargoes- Israel, US, UK, France, Canada, and Germany
Please extend your energy to other countries and people facing genocide and atrocities- Sudan, Congo, West Papua, the Rohingyas, Armenians, and the Uyghurs.
Articles for reference (please share)
The Hill: Biden adds guardrail to military assistance, under pressure from Senate Dems
State.gov: Leahy Law Fact Sheet
Stimson.org: The Arms Trade Treaty at Ten
Reuters: US Senate advances $95 ban Ukraine, Israel aid bill after failed border deal
Defense News: Senate votes down Sanders legislation scrutinizing Israel military aid
Vox: Sending unrestricted aid to Israel may flout existing US law
Amnesty International: Deconstructing the Leahy Law: Fact vs. Fiction