More Than Dozen Senators Tee Up Measure to Limit US Involvement in Killing Palestinian Civilians
Countries that receive US weapons would have to hold up to international law
More than a dozen Senate Democrats are introducing a measure to require that the weapons received by any country under the proposed national security supplemental are used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.
The legislation, being worked up as an amendment, comes as US-supplied weapons are being used by the Israeli military to kill thousands of Palestinian civilians — including a skyrocketing number of women and children — in Israel’s retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attacks which killed about 1,200 Israelis.
The senators’ amendment would also require that the president report to the Congress on whether countries receiving military equipment paid for by American taxpayers meet that test and whether the use of U.S-supplied weapons comports with established presidential directives on arms transfers and Defense Department policies for reducing harm to civilians. And it would buttress current law that prohibits U.S. security assistance to any country that prevents or restricts U.S. humanitarian assistance to those in need, subject to a presidential waiver.
The amendment would not apply to funds for air defense systems or other systems that the president determines will be used for strictly defensive purposes, according to a statement by the senators behind the proposal.
“U.S. taxpayer dollars have never come in the form of a blank check. It’s critical that we hold all nations who receive our assistance to the same standards – and that includes ensuring the use of this assistance is in line with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict. We must also insist that our partners cooperate with us in allowing the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Sen Chris Van Hollen, of Maryland, said in the statement. “Our amendment does all that and puts in place necessary reporting to Congress in order to track these measures.
“As we work to provide critical funding in the national security supplemental, I look forward to working with my colleagues to address these fundamental issues,” Van Hollen added.
Sen Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, was explicit about the United States not helping kill Palestinians.
“When it comes to U.S. military aid to Israel, American support cannot be a blank check to a right-wing Netanyahu government that has demonstrated a gross disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians,” she said. “U.S. military aid always includes conditions, and there is no exception, even for our allies.
The text of the amendment is available here.
Aside from Van Hollen and Warren, the senators behind the amendment include: Dick Durbin, (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
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