STOP BANKROLLING BOMBS FOR ISRAEL OR BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES, FED LAWYERS TELL PRES. JOE BIDEN
ALSO SAY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MUST INVESTIGATE RETURNING AMERICAN-ISRAEL CITIZENS WHO SERVED IN THE ISRAELI MILITARY FOR WAR CRIMES.
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This is a developing report. Check back for additional news.
More than 90 government lawyers are telling Pres. Joe Biden that if he doesn’t stop bankrolling bombs for Israel now, he could be tried for war crimes.
That's the upshot of the letter the lawyers are sending to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Politico news blog reported late on Monday.
“The law is clear and aligned with the majority of Americans who believe the U.S. should cease arms shipments to Israel until it stops its military operation in Gaza,” the letter states.
At least 20 of the lawyers who signed the letter work in Pres. Biden's own administration. Current and past lawyers from the departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor and Energy have signed. European Commission lawyers and even lawyers in private practice have also signed.
Organizers are still circulating the letter for more signatures, and plan to send it to the Attorney General this week.
The letter accuses Israel of violating U.S. and international laws of war. Specifically the Arms Export Control Act, the Leahy Act and the Geneva Conventions—which prohibit disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
The letter also calls for the Justice Department to investigate whether U.S. citizens with dual Israeli-American citizenship serving in Israel's military committed war crimes under U.S. law.
“This is a moment where the U.S. government is violating its own laws and policy,” a Department of Justice staffer who signed the letter 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," they added.
(Politico granted them anonymity to speak candidly because they could be fired for speaking out without permission.)
The White House and Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
$26.3 billion in additional aid to Israel was approved by Congress and Pres. Biden last week.
May 8th is the deadline for the White House to certify to Congress that Israel's use of American-supplied munitions to invade the Gaza Strip complies with U.S. and international law.
Last month, multiple State Department officials responsible for ensuring Israel complies with American and international laws told Secretary of State Antony Blinken they had "serious concern over non-compliance." They cited eight examples of Israeli military actions that were potential war crimes.
The officials added they found Israel's assurances it was not committing war crimes to be "neither credible nor reliable."
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