NEW YORK: As President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the U.S. Congress welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, Amnesty International warned that the U.S. is on notice of the government of Israel’s unlawful use of U.S.-origin weapons, including in war crimes, and will be complicit in further violations committed with these weapons.
‘Enough is enough,’ said Paul O’Brien, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. ‘The U.S. government has been presented with ample evidence from experts around the world that U.S.-origin arms have been used in war crimes and unlawful killings by the Israeli government. Continued weapons transfers will make the U.S. complicit in violations of international law committed with these arms.’
‘Amnesty International’s own research has shown on multiple occasions that the government of Israel is using U.S.-supplied weapons in serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as U.S. law and policy,’ said O’Brien.
‘The Inte
rnational Court of Justice found the risk of genocide in Gaza is plausible and even in its own assessment, the U.S. determined that it is reasonable to assess that Israeli security forces have used U.S. weapons to violate international humanitarian law.
In its recent Advisory Opinion, the Court also found that Israel’s occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and it should be urgently brought to an end, said Amnesty International in a statement.
‘In light of these findings, as a first step, President Biden must end U.S. complicity with the government of Israel’s grave violations of international law and immediately suspend the transfer of weapons to the government of Israel.’
Companies manufacturing and exporting arms also have a responsibility to respect human rights and international humanitarian law throughout their value chains. This responsibility is independent of a state’s own human rights obligations and exists over and above compliance with national laws and regulations. Compan
ies providing material assistance in the commission of a war crime can be found legally liable for such a crime.
‘With thousands of civilian lives on the line every single day, the U.S. Government and U.S. companies are leaving themselves vulnerable to liability and culpability because of their complicity,’ concluded O’Brien. ‘Now is the time to urgently suspend all transfers of weapons to the government of Israel and push for a permanent ceasefire.’
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA
