Today, twelve
churches and faith-based organizations submitted cases of apparent extrajudicial
killings by Israeli forces to the U.S. Department of State.
In a letter addressed
to Mr. Tom Malinowski, Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor, and Ambassador Anne W. Patterson, Assistant Secretary in the
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, the organizations indicated that these cases constitute
the second submission in a comprehensive project to seek accountability for
documented human rights violations by Israeli forces.
The
organizations asked the Department of State to investigate whether these cases
constitute violations of the Leahy Law, and requested that the Department of State
investigate and identify the units involved in the killings. “If a Leahy Law
violation occurred, then the units responsible should be ineligible to receive
future U.S. security assistance as stipulated by the law,” the letter
concluded.
Two
provisions in U.S. law, collectively known as the “Leahy Amendments” or “Leahy
Laws” address concerns about human rights related to U.S. security
assistance. Israel receives the majority
of U.S. Foreign Military Financing.
The
organizations submitting the cases were the American Friends Service Committee;
Church of the
Brethren,
Office of Public Witness; Conference of Major Superiors of Men; Friends Committee
on National Legislation; Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) and United Church of Christ; Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns; Mennonite
Central Committee U.S.; Pax Christi International; Pax Christi USA;
Presbyterian Church (USA); United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness
Ministries; and United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society.
