Palestinian families sue State Department over US support for IDF
By REUTERSDECEMBER 18, 2024 01:48 Palestinians inspect damage at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, December 7, 2024.(photo credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Washington faces criticism from human rights groups for maintaining its support for Israel with no major policy changes.
Palestinian families sued the US State Department on Tuesday over Washington's support for the IDF amid the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands, a court filing showed.
The lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleged that the State Department under Secretary of State Antony Blinken has deliberately circumvented a US human rights law to continue funding and supporting the IDF, accused of atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Leahy Laws prohibit providing US military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice. Both South Africa at the World Court and Amnesty International have accused Israel of reportedly committing genocide and war crimes. Israel has denied the charges.
A vehicle is parked near the International Red Cross field hospital in southern Gaza, which has been set up to try to meet what it described as an ''overwhelming'' demand for health services since Israel's military operation on Rafah began last week, amid the ongoing conflict with Israel (credit: REUTERS/DOAA ROUQA)
Criticism for supporting Israel
Washington faces criticism from human rights groups for maintaining its support for Israel with no major policy changes.Advertisement
"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," the lawsuit claimed.
The war was triggered when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7.
The lawsuit was filed by five Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the United States. The lead plaintiff was a Gaza teacher who claimed to have been displaced seven times in the current war and lost 20 family members, the lawsuit says.
The State Department declined to comment and referred reporters to the Justice Department, which had no immediate comment.
