In the February letter
to 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 asked the State Department to investigate several cases and
determine whether they constitute violations of the Leahy Law. “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.
In its response, the Department of State confirmed that “In
Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the Department has noted several of the
allegations referred to in the material you provided, including the cases of
Fadi Alloun, Saad Al-Atrash, and Hadeel Hashlamoun.” The Department of State
also reassured the churches and faith-based groups that "We continue to
emphasize that host governments should investigate credible allegations in a
timely and transparent manner.”
Today, Dr. Peter E. Makari, Executive for the Middle East and
Europe, Global Ministries of the United Church of Christ and Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), said, “We are encouraged to receive
this response from the Department of State, and we look forward to continuing
our conversation with them. At the same time, we urge the Department
of State to prevent any further assistance to Israeli units implicated in
gross violations of human rights, as they have suggested, and to make this information
publicly available as provided for in the Leahy Law.”
The organizations submitting the cases and seeking
investigations 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.
