Attorneys inside and outside the administration urge Biden to comply with law and cut off arms to Israel
A coalition of lawyers domestic and abroad — including at least 20 that work in the Biden administration — are calling on President Joe Biden to halt military aid to Israel, arguing that its actions in Gaza do not comply with U.S. and international humanitarian law.
They plan to send a letter arguing their case to Attorney General Merrick Garland and general counsels across the administration in the coming days. In the letter, obtained by POLITICO, the lawyers contend that Israel likely violated U.S. statutes including the Arms Export Control Act and Leahy Laws as well as the Geneva Conventions prohibiting disproportionate attacks on civilian populations.
The group that drafted the letter includes current attorneys from the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department. While the letter is still circulating for signatures, so far more than 90 lawyers have signed on, including from the departments of Justice, Labor and Energy, along with lawyers at the European Commission and in the private sector.
It’s the latest sign of dissent inside the administration over its Israel policy. It also comes at a key time — a week before the White House faces a May 8 deadline to certify to Congress that its ally’s military actions involving American-supplied weapons adhere to U.S. or international law. [Continue reading…]