U.S. Must Stop Arms Transfers to Israel Amid Growing Evidence of War Crimes in Gaza
Contact: Amanda Simon, asimon@aiusa.org, (212) 633-4162, @AIUSAmedia
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The U.S. government must immediately end its ongoing deliveries of large quantities of arms to Israel,
which are providing the tools to commit further serious violations of
international law in Gaza, said Amnesty International, as it called for a
total arms embargo on all parties to the conflict.
The call comes amid reports that the Pentagon has approved the
immediate transfer of grenades and mortar rounds to the Israeli armed
forces from a U.S. arms stockpile pre-positioned in Israel, and follows a
shipment of 4.3 tons of U.S.-manufactured rocket motors, which arrived
in the Israeli port of Haifa on July 15.
“On the one hand, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has proposed a ceasefire. On the other hand, the U.S. government is supplying even more arms to Israel. No one should be putting more weapons in the hands of Israel, Hamas, or Palestinian armed groups,” said Steven Hawkins, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA.
These deliveries add to more than $62 million worth of munitions,
including guided missile parts and rocket launchers, artillery parts and
small arms, already exported from the USA to Israel between January and
May this year.
“The U.S. government is adding fuel to the fire by continuing its
supply of the type of arms being used by Israel’s armed forces to
violate human rights. The U.S. government must accept that by repeatedly
shipping and paying for such arms on this scale they are exacerbating
and further enabling grave abuses to be committed against civilians
during the conflict in Gaza,” said Brian Wood, Head of Arms Control and
Human Rights at Amnesty International.
Palestinian armed groups have continued to fire rockets
indiscriminately into Israel, endangering civilians in flagrant
violation of international law. Amnesty International has repeatedly
called for an immediate end to such attacks, which amount to war crimes.
Last week the speaker of the Iranian parliament said Iran had
provided arms manufacturing know-how to Hamas in Gaza. In November 2013
he said Iran had given both financial and military support to Hamas and
the Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said missile technology has
been supplied. Hamas fighters have admitted to firing Iranian-type Fajr
5 missiles towards Tel Aviv, but mostly fire shorter-range M25 or
“Qassam” rockets and GRAD rockets.
The USA is by far the largest exporter of military equipment to
Israel. According to data made public by the US government, its arms
transfers to Israel from January to May 2014 included nearly $27 million
for “rocket launchers,” $9.3 million worth in “parts of guided
missiles” and nearly $762,000 for “bombs, grenades and munitions of
war.”
Since 2012, the USA has exported $276 million worth of basic weapons
and munitions to Israel, a figure that excludes exports of military
transport equipment and high technologies.
The news on July 30 that the USA had allowed the resupply of
munitions to Israel came the same day the U.S. government condemned the
shelling of a U.N. school in Gaza which killed at least 20 people,
including children and U.N. humanitarian workers.
“It is deeply cynical for the White House to condemn the deaths and
injuries of Palestinians, including children, and humanitarian workers,
when it knows full well that the Israeli military responsible for such
attacks are armed to the teeth with weapons and equipment bankrolled by
U.S. taxpayers,” said Brian Wood.
Amnesty International is calling on the U.N. to immediately impose a
comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups
with the aim of preventing violations of international humanitarian law
and human rights by all sides.
In the absence of a U.N. arms embargo, the organization is calling on
all states to unilaterally suspend all transfers of military equipment,
assistance and munitions to all parties to the conflict. They should
not resume until violations committed in previous conflicts are properly
investigated with those responsible brought to justice.
“As the leading arms exporter to Israel, the USA must lead the way
and demonstrate its proclaimed respect for human rights and
international humanitarian law by urgently suspending arms transfers to
Israel and pushing for a UN arms embargo on all parties to the conflict.
By failing to do so it is displaying a callous disregard for lives
being lost in the conflict on all sides,” said Wood.
More than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed
since Israel began its latest offensive in Gaza on 8 July. At least 56
Israeli soldiers have died in the conflict, as well as three civilians
in Israel, including a Thai national.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots
activist organization with more than 3 million members in more than 150
countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization
investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and
works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are
denied.