#arms sales to israel

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Adam Kredo

Less than a day before the Biden administration announced its intent to cut off U.S. arms sales to Israel, it issued a sanctions waiver to bypass congressional prohibitions on arms sales to a host of Arab nations that boycott the Jewish state, including Hamas ally Qatar and Iran-controlled Lebanon, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.FreeBeacon

On Tuesday—just a day before President Joe Biden threatened to withhold key weapons deliveries from Israel if the country moves forward with an incursion in the Gaza Strip's Rafah neighborhood—the State Department informed Congress that it intends to bypass laws that bar the United States from selling weapons to nations that boycott Israel, according to a copy of the notification obtained by the Free Beacon.

The Biden administration, which has waived these sanctions in the past, said in the notification that it intends to extend the waiver through April 30, 2025, allowing weapons to be sent to a host of nations that work closely with the Hamas terror group and other Iran-backed terror proxies.

While the administration determined that these countries engage in Israel boycotts, a condition that triggers American anti-boycott laws, bypassing these restrictions remains "in the U.S. national interest" to maintain regional stability, according to the waiver. But this justification is drawing scrutiny on Capitol Hill as the Biden administration threatens key arms shipments to Israel in a bid to force it into abandoning its campaign to eradicate Hamas.

"The Biden administration's policy toward Israel and around the world is to punish our allies and boost our enemies," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Free Beacon after reviewing the sanctions waiver. "They have sanctioned Israel and imposed an arms embargo. Meanwhile they've spent hundreds of millions pouring aid into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, dismantled sanctions on Iran, and now are suspending congressional restrictions to send weapons to Israel's enemies such as Qatar and Lebanon."

A State Department spokesman told the Free Beacon that the department "remains committed to Israel's security and defense." While current law "prohibits leases and sales of defense articles to certain countries that maintain a boycott of Israel," the president reserves the right to waive these restrictions if it is "in the national security interest," the spokesman said.

"The United States has routinely exercised that waiver for years to permit continued security cooperation between the United States and regional partners and to enable U.S. officials to continue to work closely with those partners to eliminate further instances of boycott requests," the spokesman said.

In the section related to Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group continues to attack Israel, the Biden administration admits the nation remains committed to a full-scale boycott of Israel.

[captain-casual]

Better late than never. Let’s hope CERTAIN OTHER COUNTRIES follow suit.

[nando161mando]

British MP Zarah Sultana: “I call on Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel and end Britain’s complicity in the killing.”

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

By Lev Koufax

On Aug. 9, the Biden administration made official its decision to lift its ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia. 

Specifically, the U.S. State Department announced: “The department is lifting its suspension on certain transfers of air to ground munitions to Saudi Arabia. This suspension was imposed in early 2021 following the administration’s announcement that it was ending support for offensive operations in the conflict in Yemen, including relevant U.S. arms transfers  . . . Saudi Arabia has also been a key partner in seeking a durable resolution to the conflict in Yemen.”

Pay attention to that last sentence. In that last sentence, one can find the real intent behind this new rash of U.S. arms sales to the Saudi monarchy. The change in a three-year policy comes down to one word: Yemen. 

[bahoreal]

if yall dont know whats happening in British politics right now, the guy who is like 90% likely to become the next pm, who is the leader of the (previously) more left wing party labour has been systematically removing all the left-wing MPs (members of parliament) who are likely to get re-elected and telling them they cannot stand as a labour MP at the election in july. he has been replacing them with people who are more right wing, for example one of them has a day job as a ceo of a privatised healthcare company, and another is literally an israel lobbyist. labour is becoming a right wing, racist, and blatantly pro-israel party. if labour gets in, it will no longer be "ohhh we totally cant take a stand on israel :///" they are likely to become explicitly pro-israel. they have abandoned all their left wing policies. they will be the tories 2.0, but worse in many areas. it feels like this country is copying americas lead with one more """left wing""" party whos campaign line seems to be "we're not as bad as the other guys!" whos policies suck ass as they can freely become more right wing and not what the public wants because "there's no better option". it SUCKS. and its NOT TRUE.

if you're in the uk, please look at your constituency and try to vote green, or independent, or whoever isnt labour or tory. party politics are failing us, we are NOT a two party country, we can do better than labour.

[workersolidarity]

🇩🇪 🚨

GERMAN POLICE CONTINUE BIDDING OF THE ZIONIST ENTITY

📹 Scenes from Berlin, in the German capital, where Pro-Palestine protesters are assaulted and dragged by the German Police, who do the bidding of the Zionist entity.

The German government has consistently supported the Israeli entity's ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, being the second largest provider of arms for the Israeli occupation army.

#source

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[protoslacker]

For all of these reasons – moral, legal, and strategic – sending more weapons to Netanyahu’s extremist government is unacceptable. That is why many of our closest allies have already stopped offensive arms transfers. Congress must now act to uphold U.S. and international law and use our leverage to advance U.S. policy goals

Bernie Sanders. Sanders and ColleaguesMove to Block Arm Sales to Israel

[allthegeopolitics]

The largest civil rights organisation in the United States has issued a call for President Joe Biden's administration to suspend arms transfers to Israel over its conduct in the war on Gaza, a surprise move from the group that adds increased pressure for the US president as he tries to fortify his support among Black voters. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) made the announcement on Thursday with a statement from its president, Derrick Johnson.

Continue Reading

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Israel used a US weapon in a March airstrike which killed seven healthcare workers in southern Lebanon, according to a Guardian analysis of shrapnel found at the site of the attack, which was described by Human Rights Watch as a violation of international law.

Seven volunteer paramedics, aged between 18 and 25, were killed in the 27 March attack on an ambulance center belonging to the Lebanese Succor Association in the town of al-Habariyeh in south Lebanon on 27 March.

The Guardian examined the remnants of a 500lb Israeli MPR bomb and a US-manufactured Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) recovered by first responders from the scene of the attack. Pictures of the shrapnel sent by The Guardian were further verified by Human Rights Watch and an independent arms expert.

JDAMs are guidance kits produced by US aerospace company Boeing which attach to 500-2,000lb “dumb bombs” and convert them into GPS-guided precision missiles. They have been key to Israel’s war effort in Gaza and Lebanon, and have been one of the most requested munitions from the US.

Shrapnel recovered from the al-Habariyeh attack included a fragment with writing identifying it as a “bomb MPR 500”, as well as the parts of a JDAM which clip the bomb to the guidance system and remnants of its motor.

Human Rights Watch said that its own investigation concluded that the strike on the healthcare center was unlawful and should have implications for US military assistance to Israel.

“Israel’s assurances that it is using US weapons lawfully are not credible. As Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Lebanon continues to violate international law, the Biden administration should immediately suspend arms sales to Israel,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Five days after the attack on healthcare workers in Lebanon, Israel killed another seven aid workers employed by the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. This attack led to global outrage and was called a “serious mistake” by Israel.

The revelation of Israel’s use of US weaponry in an unlawful attack comes as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is set to deliver a report to Congress on 8 May on whether he finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons do not violate US or international Law.

The Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said that the attack on al-Habariyeh should be reflected in Blinken’s report to Congress.

“These reports are deeply concerning and must be fully investigated by the Biden administration, and their findings should certainly be included in the NSM-20 report that is due to be submitted to the Congress on May 8,” Van Hollen said in an email.

Public pressure is mounting to limit or stop US weapons transfers to Israel as more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack which killed 1,200 Israelis.

In Lebanon, the attack on al-Habariyah shook the country, with hundreds showing up to pay homage at the funeral of the young medical workers: twin brothers Hussein and Ahmad al-Shaar, 18; Abdulrahman al-Shaar, 19; Mohammad Hamoud, 21; Mohammad al-Farouk Aatwi, 23; Abdullah Aatwi, 24; and Baraa Abu Kaiss, 24.

The ambulance center had been set up in the small village in south Lebanon at the end of October, as cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel began to intensify.

The airstrike came without warning between 12:30 and 1am as the volunteers were on call for the night shift. No fighting had been reported in the area that day.

The 500lb bomb leveled the two-story building, with the force of the blast hurling four of the volunteers from the center and trapping three others under the rubble.

An Israeli military spokesperson said that the airstrike in al-Habariyeh killed a “prominent terrorist belonging to Jamaa Islamiya”. Jamaa Islamiya is a Lebanese Islamist political group which also has an armed wing that has fought alongside Hezbollah against Israel since 7 October.

A representative of Jamaa Islamiya said that while some of the paramedics belonged to the group, none of them were members of its armed wing.

The Guardian asked the Israel Defense Forces which of the paramedics they killed were militants and what steps the IDF took to minimise civilian harms in the strike, but received no reply.

Three first responders, as well as witnesses present during the rescue operation, said that only seven bodies were recovered from the rubble: those of the medical volunteers.

“We examined every centimeter looking for parts of bodies and their possessions. We saw nothing military-related. We knew [the victims] personally, so we could identify their remains,” Samer Hardan, the head of the local Lebanese civil defense center who participated in the rescue operation, said.

The volunteers, most of them young university students, joined the ambulance corps after the war started – out of what their parents said was a sense of duty to their community.

“I told them that it was dangerous to do this type of work, but they said that they accepted the risk. I don’t know what Israel was thinking – these were young people excited to help others,” said Kassem al-Shaar, whose twin sons Ahmad and Hussein were killed in the airstrike.

Under the 1997 Leahy law, the US defense and state departments are prohibited from providing assistance to foreign security forces when there is “credible information” that they have committed gross violations of human rights.

The Guardian reported in January that internal state department policies have spared Israel from application of that law.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council said it was aware of reports of the attack on al-Habariyeh and that it was in touch with its Israeli counterparts to get more information.

“The US is constantly working to ensure defense articles provided by the US are being used consistent with applicable domestic and international law. If findings show violations, we take action,” the spokesperson said.

According to Josh Paul, a non-resident fellow with Democracy for the Arab World Now, a democracy and human rights non-profit, and former state department official involved in the weapons transfer process, arms transfers containing munitions like JDAMs are approved with little scrutiny.

“The state department has approved several of these transfers on a 48-hour turnaround. There is no policy concern on any munitions to Israel other than white phosphorus and cluster bombs,” Paul said.

Israel has relied heavily on US transfers of large dumb bombs, particularly the 500-2,000lb MK series, and accompanying JDAMs to fight Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to Paul, JDAMs have been some of the “key items” Israel has requested from the US in the past six months.

Human rights groups have raised concerns about Israel’s use of these dumb bombs – and the potential complicity of the US in any misuse of the weapons by retrofitting them with guidance kits.

In December, Amnesty International called on the US to stop arms transfer to Israel after it found remnants of JDAMs in two attacks in Gaza which killed more than 43 people.

Since 7 October, Israel has killed 16 medical workers in Lebanon, including 10 in a single day at the end of March. Medical personnel are protected under international law and targeting them is considered a war crime.

In the same period, 380 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 72 civilians. On the Israeli side, 11 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed.

“My sons wanted to do humanitarian work, and look what happened to them. Israel wouldn’t dare to do what they did if it wasn’t for the US standing behind them,” al-Shaar said.

[news4dzhozhar]

[vaguely-problematic]

petition to stop u.s. arms sales to israel

in regards to:

gist of petition: "Listen to Bernie Sanders and stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel that enable the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and egregious violations of human rights in Gaza"

> full text here <

you can sign with resistbot, or copy it and print out/ send in email/ fax yourself. i'm not advocating a specific method of engagement, but it is a well-worded petition on an urgent and important matter.

[nando161mando]

British MP Ellie Chowns urges Foreign Secretary David Lammy to halt all arms sales to the Israeli occupation.

[wood-addict]

Do you see this America this is what your bombs are doing nearly 40’000 people dead many more maimed for life! Stop arming Israel. Demand an immediate ceasefire!

[plethoraworldatlas]

The Biden administration has approved more than 100 separate weapons sales to the Israeli government since its massive assault on the Gaza Strip began five months ago, transfers that did not require congressional notification because they were each below a certain dollar amount.

The Washington Postreported Wednesday that the sales, which were disclosed to lawmakers during a recent classified briefing, included "thousands of precision-guided munitions, small diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms, and other lethal aid."

"Only two approved foreign military sales to Israel have been made public since the start of conflict: $106 million worth of tank ammunition and $147.5 million of components needed to make 155 mm shells," the Post added. "Those sales invited public scrutiny because the Biden administration bypassed Congress to approve the packages by invoking an emergency authority."

Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Biden administration official and the current president of Refugees International, told the newspaper that the number of sales the administration has approved over such a short period of time is "extraordinary" and "suggests that the Israeli campaign would not be sustainable without this level of U.S. support."

...

News of the secretive arms sales comes as human rights advocates and progressive lawmakers such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are pressuring the Biden administration to cut off all military aid to Israel, pointing to U.S. law and White House policy barring the transfer of weapons to human rights violators.

Under the Foreign Assistance Act, the U.S. cannot provide aid to a country that "prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance."

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller admitted during a press briefing on Tuesday that Israeli government ministers have blocked "the release of flour" and other aid into Gaza as much of the territory's population faces the imminent risk of famine—and as children die of starvation.

Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of the progressive Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow, noted that the Post's reporting shows the Biden administration has on average approved one arms sale to Israel every 36 hours since October 7, when Israel launched its large-scale assault on Gaza following a deadly Hamas-led attack.

"Weapons to a government starving and displacing millions of civilians. Weapons to an army that has killed 25,000 women and children," Lieberman wrote. "This is unconscionable. When people ask, 'What do you want Joe Biden to do?' the answer is: Stop making these weapons deals."