Biden's arms supply to 'Israel' breaches US, int'l laws: HRW report

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Jan 2024 21:46
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Following the outbreak of operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the Biden administration sought an additional $14.3 billion for arms to "Israel".

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from northern Palestine towards Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP Photo)

Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2024 asserted that the Biden administration's supply of arms to "Israel" violated domestic laws and policies in the United States, noting that the breach effectively violated international law.

"President Biden strongly criticized the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in the killing of hundreds of Israeli and other civilians. He committed increased support for Israel's defense beyond already approved annual military aid," the report stated. "Such security assistance and arms transfers violated US domestic laws and policies that condition US military aid on ensuring partners are not in violation of international law."

Following the October 7 events, the Biden administration sought an additional $14.3 billion for arms to "Israel," supplementing the yearly $3.8 billion in military aid provided by the US, as highlighted by HRW.

From October 7 until mid-December last year, 244 US transport planes and 20 ships delivered over 10,000 tons of armaments and military equipment to "Israel", according to the Israeli Channel 12.

The US has either transferred or expressed intent to transfer various weapons, including small-diameter bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits, 155mm artillery shells, and 1 million rounds of ammunition. Notably, shipments of small arms were suspended due to concerns about potential redirection to settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Despite the ongoing genocide, the Biden administration has refrained from imposing conditions on how "Israel" utilizes its military aid. Both the Pentagon and the White House have expressed trust in "Israel's" responsible use of the assistance.

In November, President Joe Biden acknowledged the consideration of conditions on military aid to "Israel" as a "worthwhile thought."

Legal battle begins

This comes as South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a lawsuit to oblige "Israel" to immediately stop its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

It also presented The Hague with compelling evidence of genocide.

The South African team stated that Palestinians have been killed by the relentless bombing of "Israel" wherever Palestinians sought shelter, whether in schools, hospitals, mosques, or churches, "and as they tried to find food and water for their families." They have been killed if they failed to evacuate, killed in the places to which they have fled, and even killed while they attempted to flee along Israeli-declared safe routes. They described the level of killing as "so extensive that those whose bodies are found are buried in mass graves, often unidentified."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry later leveled petty accusations against the African State, accusing it of acting as the "legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organization."