Five Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the United States have sued the US government to try to stop American assistance to the Israeli military over its involvement in serious human rights abuses.
The lawsuit accused the State Department of failing to implement a federal law, which prohibits transfer of funds to units of foreign military engaged in violations such as extrajudicial killings and torture.
It reads: “The State Department’s calculated failure to apply the Leahy Law is particularly shocking in the face of the unprecedented escalation of Israeli [gross violations of human rights] since the Gaza War erupted on October 7, 2023.”
More than 45,000 Palestinians killed since early October 2023 in Israel’s bombardment and ground operations in Gaza.
The United Nations and the leading international rights groups have accused the Israeli military of carrying out war crimes.
A Gaza teacher, the lead plaintiff in the case, referred to by the pseudonym Amal Gaza, has been forcibly displaced seven times since the war began and 20 of her family members have been killed in Israeli attacks.
She, in a statement accompanying the lawsuit, said: “My suffering and the unimaginable loss my family has endured would be significantly lessened if the US stopped providing military assistance to Israeli units committing gross violations of human rights.”
When contacted by a Qatar-based TV for comment, the State Department said it does not comment on pending litigation.
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