Palestinians file lawsuit against Antony Blinken

A coalition of five Palestinians, who reside in the US and Gaza, filed a lawsuit against US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, alleging that the US is failing to comply with laws that should limit military assistance to the Israeli Occupation in light of reported human rights abuses in Gaza, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported.

This legal action, backed by the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), hinges on the Leahy Law, which forbids the US from providing military aid to foreign forces involved in human rights violations. The plaintiffs, supported by several former officials from the State Department, contend that the Biden administration has exploited loopholes that permit the Israeli Occupation to persist with its actions without facing a suspension of aid.

Among the alleged loopholes is the creation of the "Israel Leahy Vetting Forum," which the lawsuit claims obstructs timely evaluations of serious human rights abuses committed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

Josh Paul, a former State Department official who participated in the forum until his resignation last October, remarked, "I sat as part of the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum and saw repeatedly cases of gross violations of human rights being brought forward and senior officials being unwilling to act upon them because of fear of political consequences."

The lawsuit points out that in April, the State Department recognized that five "Israeli" security units had committed serious human rights violations. However, it later found that four of these units had remedied their violations and could continue receiving US military support. The fifth unit, as stated in the lawsuit, was deemed "indefinitely eligible" while the State Department pursued discussions with "Israel" regarding how to address the violations.

During a press conference, Ahmed Moor, a Palestinian writer from Gaza who now lives in Philadelphia, conveyed his distress, stating, "My family members are people just like you and me, and their lives have been destroyed by American weapons in direct violation of American law."

He shared that seven of his relatives have faced multiple displacements and are currently in Rafah, a city overwhelmed by displaced Palestinians since the aggression's escalation.

"My family is living a nightmare," Moor added. "The daily search for food and water is desperate, and they live under a constant fear of the next bombardment or drone attack. The weapons being used against them—the bombs, the artillery, the ammunition—almost all of it comes from the United States."

Moor emphasized, "These weapons are provided [to Israel] despite US laws that are designed to prevent the provision to actors that commit human rights violations."

This lawsuit represents a continuing effort by Palestinians in the US and Gaza to hold the American government accountable for its ongoing military support for "Israel" amid the conflict, which has been characterized by numerous legal experts, human rights organizations, and international observers as a genocide.

In September, DAWN had already filed another lawsuit against the State Department, requesting the release of documents concerning allegations of human rights abuses by the IOF.

Furthermore, last November, additional Palestinians in both the US and Gaza filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, accusing it of neglecting to prevent "an unfolding genocide" in Gaza. Although this lawsuit was dismissed by a federal court in California, the Center for Constitutional Rights subsequently submitted an en banc petition seeking a rehearing by an 11-judge panel.