Biden's opaque new weapons deal with Israel violates his own directive on arms transfers, critics say
The US has transferred $320 million in weapons to Israel as its bombardment of Gaza draws war crimes accusations.
Evan Vucci/AP Photo
- The Biden administration is transferring weapons to Israel.
- Progressives and activists say this violates a human rights laws.
- Israel has killed more than 10,000 people in its attacks on Gaza, say Gaza health officials.
Progressives and activists say that Joe Biden is violating US human rights laws, including a directive signed by the president himself, by selling and transferring weapons to Israel.
The Biden administration last week approved a $320 million arms transfer deal for Israel, according to multiple news organizations. The deal was reported to include precision-guided missile targeting equipment.
The administration is pledging billions more in arms sales, reports said. However, details of these sales remain unclear, and Biden is facing pressure from allies in Congress to publicly disclose the extent of US arms in Israel, according to The Washington Post.
It comes as the death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza surpasses 10,000, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The Israeli strikes were launched in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, which killed 1,400.
The UN described Gaza as a "graveyard for children," with more than 4,000 thought to have been killed.
Critics say that Biden is violating an order he signed in February tightening rules prohibiting weapons transfers to governments or regimes that violate human rights.
"Given the death and destruction documented in Gaza, and the well-documented abuses in the West Bank, it is increasingly hard to see how the Biden administration can continue providing arms without violating its own conventional arms transfer policy," Seth Binder, director of advocacy for the Project on Middle East Democracy, told The Lever.
Left-wing Democrats have also accused Biden of violating the Leahy Act, a 1997 bill banning weapons sales to governments that violate human rights.
"I am very concerned that our taxpayer dollars may be used for violations of human rights," Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana told The Guardian.
"Last year, I voted to provide $3 billion dollars of strategic and security assistance to Israel. But we must absolutely make sure that none of those funds are used inappropriately, in violation of US law like the Leahy Act, or in violation of international law."
US officials are reportedly trying to get Israel to minimize civilian casualties in its attacks on Gaza, which have sparked a humanitarian crisis.
Biden initially questioned the death figures in Gaza, but on Thursday an administration official said the true death toll was likely higher than 10,000.
Israel's attacks have prompted fury in the Arab world, with CNN reporting that US diplomats privately warned that Biden's support for Israel is undermining its alliances in the region.
On Thursday, the US said that Israel had agreed to allow four-hour pauses in the fighting to allow civilians to access humanitarian aid.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.
The White House has previously insisted that its arms transfers comply with human rights rules.
"All of our arms transfers, including arms transfers to Israel, are rooted in the basic proposition that they will be used consistent with law of armed conflict," US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on October 20.