A group of at least 90 lawyers, including 20 who work in the Biden administration, are urging President Biden to cut off military aid to Israel because its slaughter in Gaza doesn’t comply with US and international law.
The attorneys will make their case in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that was obtained by POLITICO. They argue in the letter that Israel has violated the Arms Export Control Act, the Leahy Laws, and the Geneva Convention.
“The law is clear and aligned with the majority of Americans who believe the US should cease arms shipments to Israel until it stops its military operation in Gaza,” the letter reads, citing polling data that shows Biden voters support ending military aid to Israel.
The letter’s supporters include lawyers from the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and Energy. The letter is still being circulated, so the number of signatories could increase.
“This is a moment where the US government is violating its own laws and policy,” a Justice Department staffer who signed the letter told POLITICO. Describing the dissent within the administration, the staffer said, “The administration may be seeing silence or only a handful of resignations, but they are really not aware of the magnitude of discontent and dissent among the rank and file.”
Under a new national security memorandum, Israel was required to provide assurances to the US that it wouldn’t use US-provided weapons to violate international law or block aid shipments into Gaza. Despite the massive civilian casualties in Gaza and the starvation blockade imposed on the Strip, the State Department said Israel’s assurances were enough and has until May 8 to submit a report to Congress.
Trump would fire these guys in a New York minute. Lucky for them Biden accepts others opinions.
And they will be ignored and ridiculed just like any other antiwar voices. Because apparently, supporting genocide on behalf of the Zionists is official American policy now.
These Lawyers must be familiar with the Tokyo War Crimes Trials and the case of Hirota Kōki, a civilian cabinet minister, found guilty.
These lawyers do not want to be found guilty of aiding and abetting Genocide like Hirota was.
They don’t need to worry. There will never be genocide trials in the US, short of a revolution. And the US doesn’t care what the ICJ and ICC may say about it. Their government careers will be ruined, however, because of their opposition to genocide.
Agreed that the ICC will unlikely be the venue for the forthcoming war crimes Trials. However, A guess would be a BRICs organized tribunal. international Arrest Warrants will be honored by 87% of the world. Blinken et.al. Won’t be traveling much 4vr. Arrest warrants also hinder indicted War Criminals ability to sit on boards and teach in retirement
This is similar to the arrest warrants issued by ( I think it’s Spain ) against Bush and a few others for the Iraq invasion. There is a reason these retired officials didn’t travel much.
Prosecute Hamas for genocide.
Likud seems not to want a case brought to the ICJ. Hmmm
“Prosecute Hamas for genocide.”
Show they are or fk off.
Jake, I don’t think you get. Hamas is allowed to kill and kidnap citizens of Israel, that is OK. But Israel is not allowed to defended itself by going after Hamas hiding behind civilians because the civilians might get killed. And of course the firing of rockets at Israel’s cities is fine, but don’t fire back at a Gaza city.
And of course we have the people calling for the total destruction of Israel, which is not genocide. Genocide is when a person is killed standing next to an enemy fort as long as the fort is not owned by Israel.
You guys are ridiculous. Hamas kills less than 1000 Israelis, probably 1/2 idf and god knows how many fell to the hannibal directive and you define that as a certified genocide. I can’t be bothered to tell you know it all zionists, about the horrors Israel has committed since oct 7. The Zionists openly call for collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial executions, just days ago they suggested death as a solution to the over crowded prison camps. Over 10,000 held with no charges in inhumane conditions….but wait, why tell you 2, you celebrate every Palestinian death, feel joy with their sufferings and use lies to justify your feelings of genophilia, lol ,ya, that’s a word i just made up for murderous pigs like you. Why don’t you enist with idf already. Before you call me a Hamas supporter, I’m not. I simply believe in human rights and international laws. Without justice, isael will never know the peace they want and deserve.
If there was justice in Israel Netanyahu would be in jail.
hopefully justice will come for him and he will spend his life in prison.
And there you go. You blame the whole war on Israel. You act like Oct 7 attack was no big deal, just a little raid that hardly killed any citizens of Israel. You don’t even mention the 200 plus people they kidnapped. Like all terrorists supporters, you simply don’t understand that all the deaths in Gaza are a direct result of the Oct 7 attack. And the reason for that go back to the fundamentals believe you guys have: “Attacks on Israel OK. Israel defending itself with counter acts, not OK.”
I do not approve of the oct 7th attacks. Unfortunately, the official story come from Israel and much of it has been disputed. Also unfortunate, was the immediate move to genocidal talk followed by the genocidal killing of tens of thousands of innocent people. Netanyahu didn’t waste 1 second on mourning, he just started killing. Hostages, the ones the idf haven’t shot or blown up, could all be home alive if the zionist nakba 2.0 wasn’t more important. Disproportionate response and collective punishment are intolerable to me, as is the absolute disreguard for any humanitarian laws or international treaties. You and your zionist pals think that no laws or limits apply to you, you think you are gods chosen ones and can do as you like. The result of turning a blind eye to war crimes and crimes against humanity, is how it destroys the whole notion of any laws. My ancestors fought fascists and nazi scumbags so that we might have a chance of a peaceful world. Though it was obviously unsuccessful, to let israel destroy all international laws is a disgrace and honestly, seeing israels influence on american governance makes it obvious that zionists desire a fascist world with them in charge. no limits to their power, their use of weapons, freedom to torture and kill with impunity. Israel is doomed, which is sad, it didn’t have to be this way, but the zionist have taken over judaism and are sick with creulty and greed. I think Israel should exist and has a right to exist, but zionism has ruined that possibility. you call me a fundamentalist, but you’re the one who looks the other way and ignores the incredible catalogue of crimes against humanity. you have no morals or humanity, just a cruel and base human who believes killing the entire population of gaza is justified.
But Israel is not allowed to defended itself by going after Hamas hiding behind civilians because the civilians might get killed.
No, civilians WILL get killed you fucking idiot. Thousands upon thousands as everyone predicted. Damn near the entire population displaced like everyone predicted. And famine setting in because of the paltry amount of aid allowed in by Israel as everyone predicted. And then you have the gall to call out people calling for Israel’s destruction as a comparison to the actual ongoing destruction of Gaza? Man, you are a disgusting human being.
Well I see you still can not make a point without the “f” word. And again you missed the point that Hamas attacked Israel, built their forts under civilian populations and than hoped that people like you would come crying to stop Israel from going after the people who attacked them. What did you expect was going to happen after the Oct 7 attack? Did you think Israel was going to sit back and do nothing?
Yes, I said fuck again. And you said more stupid shit. Israel obliged Hamas. They made the Hamas attack look like child’s play with their genocidal response. You seem to think since they were attacked first that any response they choose, no matter how barbaric, is exonerated. An then you downplay the sheer numbers with phrases like “going after them” as though killing anything in their way is justified. Again, you are a disgusting human being.
Make your case if you can.
It is Israel and not Hamas that’s committing genocide. Israel kills far more Palestinians than Palestinians kill Israelis, Israel has been committing ethnic cleansing against Palestinians since 1948.
Now, Israel is committing genocide against Gazans by blocking food, medicine, water and electricity so hospitals no longer function.
Israel destroyed aid trucks, has been destroying hospitals, churches, mosques and homes. Israeli soldiers steal food from homes they enter. McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza and possibly many other companies provide free food to IDF Soldiers bragging about the destruction they caused.
“Prosecute Hamas for genocide.”
Show they are or fuck off.
Possible. But with no actual arrests or trials, they continue to get whatever benefits they get. Bush and Cheney aren’t sitting in a cell. Missing travel to Spain isn’t exactly a big deal.
A Spanish arrest warrant is valid in all EU states as well as a host of other countries. Likely more than 1/2 the world is off limits to those indicted war criminals.
W. Bush never traveled much. Before he became president he traveled only once outside the US, once to China when Bush Sn. was ambassador to China.
Clearly, America’s nrxt generation disagrees. These ivy league schools under the jack boots don’t seem too keen on carrying on these expensive and destructive policies of denial.
Email me when they actually control the government and enact the correct policies.
The neocon chicken shit and AIPAC has to be cleaned out first before any change is possible.
probably not in my lifetime, America is collapsing into a fascist state. Education will be illegal soon unless is state sanctioned…like florida on a national scale.
It will depend on the victor, the victor makes the rules and the victors can be ruthless and without mercy. I think the death penalty is out. Too bad, the guilty ones should hang from the highest tree, which would even be generous.
Yes we could Hack them to pieces.
And without anesthetics too.
It has really sad that our beloved country has come to this and has been taken over by war mongers and lovers.
👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍
William H Warrick III MD
Once again: “That ain’t gonna happen.” The “rule of law” – never more than a fig leaf over the power of the state and the rich – disappeared long ago in this country as well as most of Europe.
What’s the famous Fredrick Douglas quip? … “Power only answers to the barrel of a gun.” …something like. But that’s the short run. Popular disaffection, turned to disgust, turned to hatred and revulsion, gradually erodes power.
Money is power, see AIPAC, it pays and owns the barrel of a gun.
I am not sure that we have enough time left before we are all destroyed by Climate Change or Nuclear Winter. I don’ remember 90 degrees in April.
“What’s the famous Fredrick Douglas quip? … ‘Power only answers to the barrel of a gun.’ …something like.”
Sheesh, Scheetz! In the age of the internet, surely you can do better…
“Power concedes nothing without a demand” – a hard-eyed, hard-won truth, not a “quip” – vs “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”?
The dif is as important as the similarity – outwardly overlapping ideas signify and operate differently in dif historical settings…
To Merrick Garland. Good luck. Will he forward it to his relatives in Israel?
Entirely appropriate. Peace or no aide.
….
Return the hostages or no peace
Permanent ceasefire or no hostage exchange.
I don’t think that is enough. Completely all human rights, no less.
You think those 10,000 Arab hostages held by the Likud are preventing a peace deal ?
It’s like you never listen to what Israeli government officials are saying. Or at least you pretend you don’t.
Hostages and peace…
Israel is interested in neither.
They want Israel from the RIVER to the SEA, nothing less.
And likely more.
Not hostages, prisoners of war.
Or so you admit that Hamas actions were an act of war. Good. Therefore, just like any other war, the bombing of cities is part of war. Therefore, don’t cry about the destruction of Hamas run cities.
For Israelis bombing and starving defenseless people, most of them women and children, is a real heroic war, something to be PROUD of or not? The actions by the IDF scum is a war to be proud of in the eyes of the Israelis and genocide Joe? Have you no shame, no decency?
So, there is no such thing as terrorism. Once more, that works both ways.
“no such thing as terrorism” There are about 3000 New York City families that would disagree with that statement.
God, you prove how stupid you are on a daily basis. Israel has set new standards for rules of engagement in their ongoing genocidal response to Oct 7th. It IS terrorism. No different than 9/11 numbnuts.
“… the bombing of cities is part of war.”
No, the bombing of ***military targets*** located in cities, while making every effort to avoid civilian casualties, is part of ***just*** war.
Indiscriminate mass bombing of cities with the intent to destroy their habitability and to murder the human beings therein, as part of a declared campaign of genocide, is the crime of all crimes.
Tim, how did you come to lose your humanity?
It’s interesting to see the pro Zionists/pro genocide advocates losing their composure. More and more of them say things like bombing cities is just part of a war. It’s baffling the war advocates on an antiwar site, volunteering for zionist subterfuge duty.
80% of Americans support Israel.
that is simply propaganda and a twisting of words. I support Israel, I believe they should exist, but unfortunately Israel has become a disgrace. Netanyahu has destroyed the reputation and credibility of Israel and turned it into zionist fascist state, guilty of numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity…..but telling you anything is a waste of time, you are blind to anything but your murderous heros.
Just another fool with his head up Bidens ass.
The bombing of cities and starving defenseless people is genocide, a gigantic war crime. And you excuse it.
Release the hostages and end the war-simple.
End the occupation. Dismantle the settlements. Remove them from Palestinian land. Prosecute those who committed crimes, illegally confisquate land, property, took part in the many pogroms Israeli undertake against Palestinians. Disarm Israel. Dismantle their nuclear program and remove it from them. Force Israel to pay reparations. Fully. Install an international tribunal akin to Nuremberg (as you spell it) to prosecute Israeli warcriminals. Recognize the state of Palestine, make them full member of the UN. Release the Palestinian hostages Israel holds in their prison system. And then release the Israeli hostages and work toward peace, destroying Zionism in the process because those concepts can’t coexist. How about that?
“How about that?” A nice fantasy. Now try to come up with some real solutions that would end the Israel Palestinians conflict.
Netanyahu:
“We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory,” he added.
I guess you never heard of WW2?
Unarmed civilians cannot be prisoners of war.
By any chance would you know what the Zionists are willing to offer Hamas in return if anything? Maybe a little milk for the babies at least, you know the babies dying a slow and painful death of starvation?
I forgot, you never heard of it, you don’t know. Or anesthetics for babies to be amputated at least?
I despise the sadistic Zionists in Tel Aviv and DC and all the Israelis simply playing see no evil, hear no evil, we know nothing.
Where is your concern for the peaceful,unarmed victims of Hamas?
Where are the victims of Hamas? Even Oct. 7 the IDF killed more Israelis than Hamas did, they had the weapons to do it and the Israelis don’t dare investigate what happened if they did, they don’t tell.
Jake when will you wake up and smell the coffee? What is in it for you? Some big beach front property maybe?
“the IDF killed more Israelis than Hamas did” Yea right. You terrorists supporters will believe anything. BTW did you speak Elvis lately?
This would be true if the Federal government respected rule of law and/or the will of the people. But seeing as the only thing they respect are the whims of the donor class, don’t count on it.
No one has held Israel accountable for their crimes in decades if ever. Won’t start now.
They were never held accountable, that is why we are where we are now.
US lawyers are right. The correct thing to do would be to cut off military aid to Israel because its slaughter in Gaza doesn’t comply with US and international law. In fact, it’s a genocide, which violates basic human law besides violating US and international law.
But the Biden administration won’t do it, even if such an immoral stand is destroying US reputation around the world.
Why? Everybody knows why.
Too bad the donor class who owns DC disagrees.
They’re the Doner Class for DC and the Parasite Class for the US.
Good luck. Of the 90 lawyers, 10 will be made an example of and the remaining 80 will scatter like roaches.
Your cynicism is certainly justified. But when Larry Johnson testified to the United Nations this week about how it was not living up to its own standards by not investigating the attack on the Nord Stream Pipelines, he changed minds.
I’m a novice to politics. But it crossed my mind that the attorneys in the Administration who signed this letter might have done so with Biden’s permission.
“I’m a novice to politics.” Very true.
And what could they possibly gain? Maybe they can see they have nothing to lose but may save some decency?
You continue to demonstrate your level of maturity.
When a nation starts violating its own laws, that means it is the end of that nation.
I’m sure that over the last 1000 years England has broken a few of its laws, but it is still there.
“… because its [ slaughter ] in Gaza doesn’t comply with US and international law. …” certainly, not!ethnic cleansing and genocide. Not even “plausible genocide,” certainly, you understand and accept facts applied to law, reason, logic and common sense.
“… slaughter …” controlled opposition. No more; no less.
“The attorneys will make their case in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland that was obtained by [ POLITICO. ] …” certainly, not! an apparatchik of the Ministry of Truth. Not even Newspeak, merely, journal … ism used to control the “Proles.” Otherwise, reason, logic and common sense will threaten the status quo.
The Anglo-American Israel Empire will be sustained, maintained and anesthetized, if not pacified.
Antiwar, news from antiwar.
dennis hanna
And slightly preceding the letter, this internecine leaked statement:
“Leaked State Department Memo: Israeli Assurances ‘Neither Credible Nor Reliable'” (commondreams 4/28)
The matter of ‘credibility’ is key in the US and internationally, imo:
From the start, the US govt has used weapons, propaganda, and UN veto-power to enable Israel’s atrocities, and to rationalize US support for them.
In domestic politics, increasing majorities oppose the US-Israel atrocities – electorates, a minority of lawmakers, internal government workers, even little bits of mainstream media.
The Executive/Congress shift to vaguely criticizing Netanyahu was one way to keep enabling Israel’s genocide in the face of this; the hysterical Israel lobby & right wing driven attacks on youth campus resistance – which Democratic establishment liberals support – is another.
Domestically, my hope is that the US-Israel is facing a mounting “legitimation crisis” (Habermas) – a total lack of political legitimacy;
though less extensive, something like when no Soviet bloc citizens – masses, administrators, politicians, journalists – believed in ‘the system’ anymore.
In this hopeful scenario, the Democratic Party will come under the most pressure, with large scale electorate withdrawal forcing it – now or in the future – to cease its alliance with the Israel lobby. Or lose.
“In this hopeful scenario, the Democratic Party will come under the most pressure, with large scale electorate withdrawal forcing it – now or in the future – to cease its alliance with the Israel lobby. Or lose.’ So hand over control to the GOP. What can go wrong with that plan?
” hamd over control to the GOP. What can go wrong with that plan?”
1/ For citizens like you – whose first priority is supporting Israel’s atrocities vs. supporting American welfare – nothing can “go wrong with that plan” now.
For Israel-firsters like you, given a choice of ‘limit Israel,’ or ‘get the GOP’? You’ll choose the GOP every time.
Why? Because you don’t actually give a crap about citizen welfare under the GOP – ‘But the GOP!’ is just a threat to force the Dem electorate to vote for Dems who support lobbies, like the Israel lobby, vs what majorities want.
2/ But for modern holocaust enablers like you, there are two downsides:
a/ “the plan” could pressure the White House to limit Israeli atrocities now; and
b/ long term, it could break bipartisan support for Israel.
The upcoming election is a binary choice. If you want to support Palestinians your best option is Biden. If you think that with holding support for Biden is going change his polices in the middle east, you are wrong. The only thing that holding back support for Biden will accomplish is a Trump victory. Is that what you want? There is noting in Trump history that shows he cares about Palestinians.
U.S. SQ2UANDERING ANY SHRED OF MORAL AUTHORITY BY SENING 2 & 5 Thousand pound bombs for ISRAEL to use in it’s GENOCIDE OF THE PALESTINIANS…!!!! HIS ACTIONS WILL LIVE IN INFAMY FOREVER.!!!!!
Those bombs are to bust underground bunkers. Don’t put bunkers under civilian structures and civilians don’t get killed. Do you really not understand what happens in an urban warfare setting?
Those bombs are not meant for densely populated areas loaded with civilians, mainly woman and children, no matter how hard you try to spin it. You think Israel is exonerated because they claim those are human shields that they are dropping 2000 lb bombs on. They aren’t. The only thing that does is make them look even more brutally vicious for wantonly killing civilians. Do you really not understand how sick you sound?
Don’t put forts in densely populated areas. Not a hard concept.
No matter how many times you repeat that bullshit it still doesn’t exonerate Israel. But that’s a concept beyond your grasp.
The Democratic party has thoroughly discredited itself. The leadership has proved itself – starting from the top – utterly without any moral compass that is recognizably human. Rather, this leadership is infested with moral and ethical, not to mention physical, cowardice.