Congress should be more critical of 'Israel' aid amid worrying misuse
4 Min Read
Dylan Williams writes in Foreign Policy that it is US lawmakers are required to ensure that if "Israel" is truly in need of aid from the US, that aid should be used within the framework of international law.
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Israeli tanks stand outside the border with Gaza in occupied Palestine (AFP)
According to Dylan Williams, the vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy, the passage of a massive amount of military support further tying the US to "Israel's" war on Gaza should not be a done deal.
Instead, Williams argues in Foreign Policy that disagreements between both administrations and the massive death toll of Palestinian civilians should make lawmakers "ask some tough questions."
He asks whether "Israel" is in genuine need of further aid at all and argues that even if it was, its desire alone is not sufficient for the US to grant its wish on the backs of US taxpayers since the Israeli entity has a GDP per capita higher than Germany, France, Japan, the UK, and Saudi Arabia, according to 2022 data.
"Due diligence requires that lawmakers seek evidence that Israel cannot reasonably pay for necessary additional arms itself," Williams notes.
He also argues that "Israel" has not been using its previous aid in ways that enhance its security. He details the blissful ignorance of Netanyahu's administration that allowed Operation Al-Aqsa Flood to occur on October 7, along with a priority of deploying far-right settlers to the West Bank, "intensifying government-backed harassment of Palestinian communities."
His second question begs if "Israel" will utilize US weapons in conformity with international law.
'Israel' has not respected international law
He answers this question by drawing attention that the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli aggression has amounted to 18,787 martyrs and 50,897 injuries.
He calls these numbers "prima facie evidence" that the occupation has not respected international law and has not taken any precautions to protect civilian life and infrastructure.
In contrast, according to Haaretz, the ratio of civilian deaths in previous Israeli bombings of Gaza from 2012 to 2022 was 40%.
In comparison, in the current bombardment which began on October 7, civilian deaths rose to 61% in what Haaretz described as “unprecedented killing”. The ratio is significantly higher than the civilian toll in all the wars around the world during the 20th century, in which civilians accounted for about half the dead.
Earlier investigations by other Israeli news outlets, +972 Magazine and Local Call, concluded that "Israel" was intentionally targeting residential buildings in the hope that Gazans would turn on Palestinian Resistance factions.
Despite all this, US officials told CNN that the US has no plans to constrain military aid.
Williams concludes by stating that lawmakers should stop demanding that "Israel" follow international law, something it has not done, and rather demand that Biden place restrictions on the aid to prevent their misuse.
The Biden administration, on its part, appears to have no intentions of enforcing these demands, as report by CNN detailed.
On the other hand, Biden has lifted all restrictions on aid to "Israel". As reports of Israeli war crimes executed with US-made or supplied weapons circulate, such as the firing of US-made white phosphorus on South Lebanon, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby replied, “Any time that we provide items like white phosphorous to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes and in keeping with the law of armed conflict.”
Williams adds that with hundreds of Palestinians dying daily, "Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the steps it takes make a just and secure end to this war more likely, rather than funding actions that harm human security, regional stability, and international order with American taxpayer dollars."
