(C) Freedom House This story was originally published by Freedom House and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Open Letter to Secretary Blinken Regarding United States Security Assistance to Israel [1] [] Date: 2024-07 July 1, 2024 The Honorable Antony Blinken Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Blinken, We are writing to follow up on the Freedom House letter dated May 9, 2024, regarding United States security assistance to Israel. Ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the United States next month and given the administration’s recent report that US-provided weapons may have been used by Israel in violation of international humanitarian law (IHL), we believe it is crucial that the United States conduct ongoing, thorough, transparent, public assessments of how US security assistance is utilized in the Gaza conflict. While Israel has the right to self-defense, it must be done in accordance with international humanitarian law. If violations have occurred, the United States should suspend aid to military units or individuals engaging in gross violations of human rights, in accordance with United States law. We urge you to make clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that the Israeli government must do more to protect, and facilitate humanitarian relief to, Palestinian civilians. In our previous letter, we urged the Biden Administration to withhold security assistance to any military units found to have engaged in gross violations of human rights, as required by United States law. In the report transmitted to Congress on May 10, 2024, the administration determined that “it is difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents.” The report goes on to say, however, that “given Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that [US-provided] defense articles...have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.” The report also notes “substantial questions” as to whether Israel is effectively implementing best practices for mitigating civilian harm, noting the high number of civilian casualties. While we appreciate the public release of this report, its conclusions are deeply troubling and warrant follow up action from the United States, the urgency of which is underscored by a worsening humanitarian crisis. As Israel seeks to defend itself from continued security threats and secure the release of the remaining hostages, it must uphold international humanitarian law, abiding by the principles of distinction, necessity, and proportionality. Since our last letter, the number of Palestinians reported killed in Gaza has risen to 37,877, including more than 15,000 children. Several incidents have occurred that warrant a closer look to determine whether IHL has been violated, including those where schools, UN facilities, or refugee camps were targeted by Israel based on their assessments that terrorists were embedded there. It is important that the US look closely at incidents such as these when conducting due diligence on Leahy Law vetting. While we share your hope that the proposed ceasefire will be agreed to and implemented without delay, we urge the administration to make every effort in the interim period to ensure US security assistance to Israel is not used in contravention of international humanitarian law. This will necessitate ongoing, thorough, transparent, and public assessments of the assistance being provided, as well as the immediate suspension of assistance to any units found to be involved in human rights abuses, as required by the Leahy Law. As civilian casualties mount in Gaza and famine and starvation spread, the need to determine facts on the ground is urgent. We urge you to make clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit next month that the United States will fully uphold US law and suspend aid to anyone involved in violations and that Israel must do more to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure the provision of desperately needed and overdue humanitarian assistance. Sincerely, Nicole Bibbins Sedaca Interim President [END] --- [1] Url: https://freedomhouse.org/article/open-letter-secretary-blinken-regarding-united-states-security-assistance-israel Published and (C) by Freedom House Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/freedomhouse/