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For Immediate Release
Contact:

Rebecca Sharer, media@aiusa.org

United States Must Halt Arms Sale to Israel and Commit to Ending Violations in Gaza

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) supports joint resolutions in the House and Senate, introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, to block the United States' pending $735 million weapons sale to Israel. Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes in Gaza targeting residential buildings and family homes, in some cases killing entire families. These attacks may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity and must be investigated.

WASHINGTON

Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) supports joint resolutions in the House and Senate, introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, to block the United States' pending $735 million weapons sale to Israel. Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes in Gaza targeting residential buildings and family homes, in some cases killing entire families. These attacks may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity and must be investigated. By planning to supply hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel, the United States government stands to help carry out war crimes and kill or injure more people with U.S.-made precision guided missiles. The U.S. must halt this arms sale, as well as commit to reviewing Israeli forces' use of U.S.-manufactured weapons and other aid to commit human rights violations, pursuant to the Leahy Laws.

In the midst of these escalating violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, AIUSA is also joining with Amnesty Israel in calling on the Biden administration to work to end violations perpetrated by both Israel and Palestinian armed groups and demand that the Israeli government immediately cease the forced evictions and forced displacement of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah that led to this latest escalation in hostilities. They are also calling for an end to the rockets fired indiscriminately into civilian areas of Israel by Palestinian armed groups that have injured and killed civilians.

The letter also calls on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to publicly insist that the Israeli government address the root causes of the violations and injustice experienced by Palestinians to end ongoing, and prevent future violations. To this end, the U.S. must exhaust all available resources, from an independent investigation to multilateral efforts, and re-examine its longstanding role in funding and enabling the ongoing violations perpetrated by Israel against people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Amnesty International is a global movement of millions of people demanding human rights for all people - no matter who they are or where they are. We are the world's largest grassroots human rights organization.

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