https://sputnikglobe.com/20231211/how-team-biden-defies-own-human-rights-rules-in-israel-weapons-supplies-1115518899.html
How Team Biden Defies Own Human Rights Rules in Israel Weapons Supplies
How Team Biden Defies Own Human Rights Rules in Israel Weapons Supplies
Sputnik International
The Biden administration is not following its own guidelines while providing military equipment to Israel, as per the US press.
2023-12-11T09:44+0000
2023-12-11T09:44+0000
2023-12-11T09:44+0000
us
americas
joe biden
israel defense forces (idf)
us army
palestine-israel conflict
israeli-palestinian conflict
israel-gaza conflict
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The White House has reportedly waived Congressional review requirements to supply Israel with nearly 14,000 tank rounds amid growing concerns over Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of 120mm M830A1 tank cartridges and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million in response to Israel's request, as per the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency's December 9 declaration."The Secretary of State determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended," the document says.The declaration underlined that the weapons in question "will not alter the basic military balance in the region" and, while coming from the US Army inventory, "will have no adverse impact on US defense readiness."The move came amid a stalemate in Congress over Washington's military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. GOP lawmakers are blocking Biden's attempts to ram a $110 billion deal through the body, demanding sweeping reforms of the Mexican border to be included in the measure. Some of their Democratic counterparts are likewise concerned about mounting casualties in Gaza, sounding calls to condition the Israeli funds on a scaling down of Tel Aviv's military operation in the strip.What's more, Team Biden does not follow its own rules for arming foreign nations, per the Washington Post. Under these guidelines weapons should not be delivered to a nation if there are suspicions that violations of international law, "including attacks intentionally directed against civilian objects," are "more likely than not" to occur.Biden administration officials claim that it's too early to judge whether or not Israel's methods comply with the laws of war.However, five Democratic senators have recently sent a letter to Biden arguing that the "risk of violating international law and our own standards increases as Israel uses explosive weapons in densely populated areas."The issue has come to the fore after Israel resumed its operation in Gaza on December 1 after a week-long truce. Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas, an Islamist group controlling Gaza, in October in the wake of a bombing spree and assault on Israeli civilians from the strip that claimed the lives of over 1,300 people. Presently, the deal toll in Gaza is nearing 18,000, as per the Palestinian Health Ministry.A rift is growing within the Democratic camp with the Progressive Caucus openly raising the alarm over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Over a dozen Democratic senators have proposed an amendment to the US president's $110 billion package which would oblige Israel to "abide by US and international law, prioritize the protection of civilians, assure the provision of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and align with a long-term vision for peace, security, and two-state diplomatic solution."Democrats argue that the US government should comply with its own rules and international laws, citing the fact that previously the Reagan administration axed arms deliveries to Tel Aviv over concerns about cluster munitions use in Lebanon. However, it appears that Team Biden has already opened this Pandora's box by providing cluster munitions to the Ukrainian government regardless of the fact that Kiev has a long record of using these weapons against peaceful civilians of Donbass. It begs the question why Democratic senators remained mute for the past 22 months and raised the alarm with Team Biden's militarization spree only now.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231210/palestinian-pm-calls-for-sanctioning-israel-holding-us-accountable-1115512960.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231104/bidens-disregard-for-arab-suffering-may-cost-him-presidency---ex-us-senator-1114707271.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231017/ukraine-used-atacms-missiles-with-cluster-munitions-to-attack-russian-cities-1114266625.html
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joe biden, tank rounds to israel, cluster munitions to ukraine, gaza, palestinians, civilian casualties in gaza, civilian casualties in donbass, us weapons used to kill civilians, human rights, biden administration defies international law and own rules
joe biden, tank rounds to israel, cluster munitions to ukraine, gaza, palestinians, civilian casualties in gaza, civilian casualties in donbass, us weapons used to kill civilians, human rights, biden administration defies international law and own rules
How Team Biden Defies Own Human Rights Rules in Israel Weapons Supplies
The Biden administration is not following its own guidelines while providing military equipment to Israel, as per the US press.
The White House has reportedly waived Congressional review requirements to supply Israel with nearly 14,000 tank rounds amid growing concerns over Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of 120mm M830A1 tank cartridges and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million in response to Israel's request, as per the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency's December 9
declaration.
"The Secretary of State determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended," the document says.
The declaration underlined that the weapons in question "will not alter the basic military balance in the region" and, while coming from the US Army inventory, "will have no adverse impact on US defense readiness."
10 December 2023, 17:37 GMT
The move came amid a stalemate in Congress over Washington's military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. GOP lawmakers are blocking Biden's attempts to ram a $110 billion deal through the body, demanding sweeping reforms of the Mexican border to be included in the measure. Some of their Democratic counterparts are likewise concerned about mounting casualties in Gaza, sounding calls to condition the Israeli funds on a scaling down of Tel Aviv's military operation in the strip.
What's more, Team Biden does not follow its own rules for arming foreign nations, per the Washington Post. Under these guidelines weapons should not be delivered to a nation if there are suspicions that violations of international law, "including attacks intentionally directed against civilian objects," are "more likely than not" to occur.
The newspaper cites a senior US official who admitted that the US administration was unable to make a "contemporaneous evaluation" of Israel’s compliance with the rules. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, complained that Washington lacks access both to the intelligence used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to plan their operations and to the Israeli military intentions.
Biden administration officials claim that it's too early to judge whether or not Israel's methods comply with the laws of war.
"This is an extremely challenging space where there is fog of war," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in charge of arms transfers Mira Resnick told the media. "We don’t have information that would indicate that we have crossed that more-likely-than-not threshold."
However, five Democratic senators have recently sent a letter to Biden arguing that the "risk of violating international law and our own standards increases as Israel uses explosive weapons in densely populated areas."
According to the newspaper, the IDF has dropped over 22,000 Washington-supplied guided and unguided bombs on Gaza during the conflict. For its part, the US supplied Israel with at least 15,000 bombs (including 2,000-pound bunker busters), and over 50,000 155mm artillery shells.
The issue has come to the fore after Israel resumed its operation in Gaza on December 1 after a week-long truce. Tel Aviv declared war on Hamas, an Islamist group controlling Gaza, in October in the wake of a bombing spree and assault on Israeli civilians from the strip that claimed the lives of over 1,300 people. Presently, the deal toll in Gaza is nearing 18,000, as per the Palestinian Health Ministry.
4 November 2023, 05:14 GMT
A rift is growing within the Democratic camp with the Progressive Caucus openly raising the alarm over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Over a dozen Democratic senators have proposed an amendment to the US president's $110 billion package which would oblige Israel to "abide by US and international law, prioritize the protection of civilians, assure the provision of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and align with a long-term vision for peace, security, and two-state diplomatic solution."
Democrats argue that the US government should comply with its own rules and
international laws, citing the fact that previously the Reagan administration axed arms deliveries to Tel Aviv over concerns about cluster munitions use in Lebanon.
However, it appears that Team Biden has already opened this Pandora's box by providing
cluster munitions to the Ukrainian government regardless of the fact that Kiev has a long record of using these weapons against peaceful civilians of Donbass. It begs the question why Democratic senators remained mute for the past 22 months and raised the alarm with Team Biden's militarization spree only now.
17 October 2023, 17:58 GMT
