25 july 2019
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Congress has backed legislation that would impose some sanctions on the Saudi ruling family and block some weapons sales, pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s close ties to Riyadh.
The committee voted on Thursday 13-9, with three Republicans aligning with Democrats in the committee in backing the measure despite expected opposition from Trump.
To become law, the legislation must still pass the whole Senate, as well as the US House of Representatives and either be signed by Trump or gather the two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress to override a veto.
Historically, Congress has overridden fewer than ten percent of all presidential vetoes.
The measure was co-sponsored by Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Todd Young.
The committee’s chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, opposed the bill, saying he wanted legislation to hold Riyadh accountable but argued that there was no point in passing a bill that Trump would veto.
On Wednesday, Trump vetoed three congressional resolutions barring billions of dollars in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been committing war crimes in Yemen for over four years.
In a statement released by the White House, Trump argued that the bills would “weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners.”
Many members of Congress have sought to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its human rights abuses, including last year’s murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has led to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Leading a coalition of its allies, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the former regime, which had been friendly to Riyadh, but whose officials fled the country.
The aggression is estimated to have left 56,000 Yemenis dead and has taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Congress has backed legislation that would impose some sanctions on the Saudi ruling family and block some weapons sales, pushing back against US President Donald Trump’s close ties to Riyadh.
The committee voted on Thursday 13-9, with three Republicans aligning with Democrats in the committee in backing the measure despite expected opposition from Trump.
To become law, the legislation must still pass the whole Senate, as well as the US House of Representatives and either be signed by Trump or gather the two-thirds majorities in both chambers of Congress to override a veto.
Historically, Congress has overridden fewer than ten percent of all presidential vetoes.
The measure was co-sponsored by Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Todd Young.
The committee’s chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, opposed the bill, saying he wanted legislation to hold Riyadh accountable but argued that there was no point in passing a bill that Trump would veto.
On Wednesday, Trump vetoed three congressional resolutions barring billions of dollars in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been committing war crimes in Yemen for over four years.
In a statement released by the White House, Trump argued that the bills would “weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners.”
Many members of Congress have sought to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its human rights abuses, including last year’s murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has led to a humanitarian catastrophe.
Leading a coalition of its allies, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall the former regime, which had been friendly to Riyadh, but whose officials fled the country.
The aggression is estimated to have left 56,000 Yemenis dead and has taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
US President Donald Trump has vetoed three congressional resolutions barring billions of dollars in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have been committing war crimes in Yemen for over four years.
In veto messages to Congress released by the White House on Wednesday, Trump argued that the bills would “weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners.”
Back in May, the Trump administration invoked an emergency provision of the law governing arms sales to push for the sale of $8.1 billion worth of munitions in 22 pending transfers to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Jordan without the typical 30-day congressional review period.
It claimed that the export was crucial to protect the region against what it called “the malign influence” of Iran.
However, the move infuriated American lawmakers, who slammed the Trump administration for attempting to bypass Congress.
Many members of Congress have grown alarmed by the brutal Saudi-led military aggression on Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians since early 2015 and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.
They have also censured the Riyadh-sponsored killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, last October, as well as Trump’s inaction on the crime.
The three resolutions had been approved by the House of Representatives last week. They had previously passed the Senate in what was viewed as a bipartisan pushback to Trump’s foreign policy.
In his veto messages, Trump claimed that the resolutions were an “ill-conceived and time-consuming” way to address concerns about the war on Yemen.
Representative Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York who is the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, denounced Trump’s decision to veto the bills.
“The President’s veto sends a grim message that America’s foreign policy is no longer rooted in our core values — namely a respect for human rights — and that he views Congress not as a coequal branch of government, but an irritant to be avoided or ignored,” he said.
“Worse still, this veto is going to cost innocent lives. These weapons are going to continue fueling a reckless and brutal campaign of violence and exacerbating the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe," he added.
Saudi Arabia is the United States’ largest arms client, with over $129 billion in approved purchases.
UK gives green light to $800m in Saudi arms sales
In a separate development, a new analysis from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) revealed that the UK, which is — along the US — among the Riyadh regime’s arms suppliers had approved over $800 million worth of arms license exports to Saudi Arabia between in October 2018 and March 2019.
The sales came despite a ruling by the Court of Appeal in June that states British arms sales to the Riyadh regime are unlawful.
Andrew Smith, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), said, “At the same time as the Saudi regime was covering up his (Khashoggi’s) murder ministers were approving hundreds of millions of pounds worth of arms.”
“UK-made weapons have played a devastating role in the bombing of Yemen. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and vital infrastructure has been destroyed. The destruction wouldn’t have been possible without the complicity and support of arms dealing governments like the UK,” he added.
In veto messages to Congress released by the White House on Wednesday, Trump argued that the bills would “weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners.”
Back in May, the Trump administration invoked an emergency provision of the law governing arms sales to push for the sale of $8.1 billion worth of munitions in 22 pending transfers to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Jordan without the typical 30-day congressional review period.
It claimed that the export was crucial to protect the region against what it called “the malign influence” of Iran.
However, the move infuriated American lawmakers, who slammed the Trump administration for attempting to bypass Congress.
Many members of Congress have grown alarmed by the brutal Saudi-led military aggression on Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians since early 2015 and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.
They have also censured the Riyadh-sponsored killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, last October, as well as Trump’s inaction on the crime.
The three resolutions had been approved by the House of Representatives last week. They had previously passed the Senate in what was viewed as a bipartisan pushback to Trump’s foreign policy.
In his veto messages, Trump claimed that the resolutions were an “ill-conceived and time-consuming” way to address concerns about the war on Yemen.
Representative Eliot Engel, a Democrat from New York who is the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, denounced Trump’s decision to veto the bills.
“The President’s veto sends a grim message that America’s foreign policy is no longer rooted in our core values — namely a respect for human rights — and that he views Congress not as a coequal branch of government, but an irritant to be avoided or ignored,” he said.
“Worse still, this veto is going to cost innocent lives. These weapons are going to continue fueling a reckless and brutal campaign of violence and exacerbating the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe," he added.
Saudi Arabia is the United States’ largest arms client, with over $129 billion in approved purchases.
UK gives green light to $800m in Saudi arms sales
In a separate development, a new analysis from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) revealed that the UK, which is — along the US — among the Riyadh regime’s arms suppliers had approved over $800 million worth of arms license exports to Saudi Arabia between in October 2018 and March 2019.
The sales came despite a ruling by the Court of Appeal in June that states British arms sales to the Riyadh regime are unlawful.
Andrew Smith, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), said, “At the same time as the Saudi regime was covering up his (Khashoggi’s) murder ministers were approving hundreds of millions of pounds worth of arms.”
“UK-made weapons have played a devastating role in the bombing of Yemen. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and vital infrastructure has been destroyed. The destruction wouldn’t have been possible without the complicity and support of arms dealing governments like the UK,” he added.
20 july 2019
Saudi King Salman has approved hosting of hundreds of US troops in the kingdom amid rising tensions in the region between the United States and Iran.
According to the kingdom’s defense ministry, King Salman has given his approval “based on mutual cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America” and Washington’s “desire to enhance everything that could preserve the security of the region and its stability.”
CNN reported on Thursday that around 500 troops were expected to be dispatched to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area east of the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Two US military officials told CNN that a small number of troops and support personnel are already in the air base, with initial preparations being made for a US-made Patriot missile system as well as runway and airfield improvements.
Washington is expected to fly stealth, fifth-generation F-22 jets and other fighters from the air base, the unnamed US officials said.
The kingdom has not hosted US forces since 2003 when they pulled out following the end of the war with Iraq. The US troops were present in Saudi Arabia for 12 years, starting with Operation Desert Storm in 1991, when former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
At the peak of the Iraq war, 200 US aircraft were stationed at the Prince Sultan air base, which is situated around 80 kilometers south of Riyadh. As many as 2,700 missions a day were also handled by the headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
Since 2015, the US has been supporting a a Saudi-led war against Yemen that seeks to reinstall the impoverished country’s former Riyadh-backed officials. The American patronage has featured aerial refueling, which the US only stopped last year after the Saudi-led coalition grew independent of it, as well as logistical and commando support.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives since the onset of the war, and the country has been pushed close to the edge of outright famine.
A year after the war was launched, Trump made his maiden visit to Saudi Arabia, announcing more than $100 billion in arms sales to the kingdom.
$1.48bn contract for THAAD missile system
Meanwhile, a $1.48 billion contract to build the THAAD missile system for Saudi Arabia has been awarded to Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon said on Friday.
In November 2018, Saudi and American officials signed letters of offer and acceptance formalizing terms for Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 44 THAAD launchers, missiles and related equipment.
In April, a $2.4 billion contract for THAAD interceptor missiles was awarded to Lockheed. some of those missiles are set to be delivered to the kingdom, which is the United States’ largest arms client, with over $129 billion in approved purchases.
The arms exports and deployment of troops come against the backdrop of rising tensions between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf.
According to the kingdom’s defense ministry, King Salman has given his approval “based on mutual cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America” and Washington’s “desire to enhance everything that could preserve the security of the region and its stability.”
CNN reported on Thursday that around 500 troops were expected to be dispatched to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area east of the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Two US military officials told CNN that a small number of troops and support personnel are already in the air base, with initial preparations being made for a US-made Patriot missile system as well as runway and airfield improvements.
Washington is expected to fly stealth, fifth-generation F-22 jets and other fighters from the air base, the unnamed US officials said.
The kingdom has not hosted US forces since 2003 when they pulled out following the end of the war with Iraq. The US troops were present in Saudi Arabia for 12 years, starting with Operation Desert Storm in 1991, when former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
At the peak of the Iraq war, 200 US aircraft were stationed at the Prince Sultan air base, which is situated around 80 kilometers south of Riyadh. As many as 2,700 missions a day were also handled by the headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
Since 2015, the US has been supporting a a Saudi-led war against Yemen that seeks to reinstall the impoverished country’s former Riyadh-backed officials. The American patronage has featured aerial refueling, which the US only stopped last year after the Saudi-led coalition grew independent of it, as well as logistical and commando support.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives since the onset of the war, and the country has been pushed close to the edge of outright famine.
A year after the war was launched, Trump made his maiden visit to Saudi Arabia, announcing more than $100 billion in arms sales to the kingdom.
$1.48bn contract for THAAD missile system
Meanwhile, a $1.48 billion contract to build the THAAD missile system for Saudi Arabia has been awarded to Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon said on Friday.
In November 2018, Saudi and American officials signed letters of offer and acceptance formalizing terms for Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 44 THAAD launchers, missiles and related equipment.
In April, a $2.4 billion contract for THAAD interceptor missiles was awarded to Lockheed. some of those missiles are set to be delivered to the kingdom, which is the United States’ largest arms client, with over $129 billion in approved purchases.
The arms exports and deployment of troops come against the backdrop of rising tensions between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf.
16 july 2019
Ibrahim Hammad, 22, has been wounded five times during his participation in the Great March of Return in the Gaza Strip, but his last injury has killed his hopes of standing again on his feet.
On July 5, Hammad was injured by a bullet that penetrated his thigh and exploded causing severe damages to his intestines and rectum.
At the beginning of the interview Hammad seemed to be somehow fine while narrating what happened with him on the border east of al-Bureij refugee camp before he started to scream hysterically as he felt horrible pain. A nurse rushed to the room and injected him with painkillers.
Three surgeries
Hammad has undergone three surgeries to remove shrapnel from his intestines and rectum. The doctors tried to save part of them from complete damage, and his wounds are still open and clearly visible.
Hammad said, "I was a long distance away from the border fence. I felt like an electric shock hit my body and fell to the ground. They took me to the nearest medical tent then moved me to the hospital."
Hammad called on the Great March of Return organizers to stand by his side and help him get the treatment he needs after he has been injured five times in the protests.
In the first time Hammad was injured by shrapnel in the left leg and in the second and third by tear gas canisters to the head, while in the fourth time he suffered nervous convulsions after inhaling poisonous gas.
Life at stake
Hasan Hammad, Ibrahim's brother, said that the family is having difficulty bringing Ibrahim the medical supplies and medications he needs due to their scarcity in Gaza hospitals and due to the family's bad financial conditions.
He added that Ibrahim has been suffering from unbearable pains for about 14 days and that his brother's life is in real danger.
The Israeli snipers lined on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip have repeatedly used explosive bullets to target peaceful protesters in the Great March of Return killing and injuring hundreds, including children.
On July 5, Hammad was injured by a bullet that penetrated his thigh and exploded causing severe damages to his intestines and rectum.
At the beginning of the interview Hammad seemed to be somehow fine while narrating what happened with him on the border east of al-Bureij refugee camp before he started to scream hysterically as he felt horrible pain. A nurse rushed to the room and injected him with painkillers.
Three surgeries
Hammad has undergone three surgeries to remove shrapnel from his intestines and rectum. The doctors tried to save part of them from complete damage, and his wounds are still open and clearly visible.
Hammad said, "I was a long distance away from the border fence. I felt like an electric shock hit my body and fell to the ground. They took me to the nearest medical tent then moved me to the hospital."
Hammad called on the Great March of Return organizers to stand by his side and help him get the treatment he needs after he has been injured five times in the protests.
In the first time Hammad was injured by shrapnel in the left leg and in the second and third by tear gas canisters to the head, while in the fourth time he suffered nervous convulsions after inhaling poisonous gas.
Life at stake
Hasan Hammad, Ibrahim's brother, said that the family is having difficulty bringing Ibrahim the medical supplies and medications he needs due to their scarcity in Gaza hospitals and due to the family's bad financial conditions.
He added that Ibrahim has been suffering from unbearable pains for about 14 days and that his brother's life is in real danger.
The Israeli snipers lined on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip have repeatedly used explosive bullets to target peaceful protesters in the Great March of Return killing and injuring hundreds, including children.
8 july 2019
July 8, 2019 / Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) / France, Europe
In a report [pdf] published today, the US corporate watchdog SumOfUs documented that the French insurance giant AXA is investing over $91 million in Israel’s five largest banks and Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, all companies directly involved in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people.
A growing global coalition responded to the report findings today by pledging more protests, and launching an online campaign expected to deliver thousands of emails to AXA’s CEO, calling on AXA to respect international law and divest from the complicit Israeli companies.
The new SumOfUs research report, “Axa: Financing War Crimes [pdf]”, details AXA’s investments in the Israeli banks, which are the backbone of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, and in Elbit Systems, which profits from arming Israel’s military.
One AXA subsidiary, AXA IM, recently divested from Elbit Systems, but another AXA affiliate, AXA Equitable Holdings, has retained investments in Elbit. In December 2018, HSBC divested from Elbit Systems, following protests by progressive British organizations.
The SumOfUs report states:
“As long as these companies support the expansion, construction and maintenance of the illegal Israeli settlements and associated infrastructure, in addition to the unlawful use of armed force against Palestinians, AXA’s investments will make it complicit in serious violations of international law, potentially guilty of French law violation, and definitely in contradiction with its responsible investment policies.”
Imen Habib, coordinator of BDS France, a leading member of the Coalition Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid, said:
“Israel can only maintain its regime of occupation and apartheid over the Palestinian people through support from governments and companies such as AXA. As long as AXA maintains its investments in these Israeli banks and Elbit Systems, protests by our growing global coalition will intensify. With Israel and the US, with the European Union’s complicity, plotting to undermine Palestinian rights to justice, freedom and self-determination, it’s even more vital that principled civil society coalitions hold complicit companies such as AXA to account.”
Over the last year, the Coalition to Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid, which has grown to include groups in nine countries in Europe and the Arab world, has organized coordinated days of protest outside AXA offices, a protest outside of AXA’s annual meeting in Paris, and other actions.
Alys Samson Estapé, the Palestinian BDS National Committee’s Europe Coordinator, said:
An insurer should protect lives. Instead, AXA is profiting from the destruction of Palestinian lives and livelihoods. Palestinian civil society has called on companies to cut ties of complicity with companies directly involved in Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights.
To meet its obligations to respect international law, AXA must divest, following the lead of investors like the Presbyterian Church USA and the United Methodist Church (UMC), the Dutch pension fund PGGM and the Norwegian, Luxembourg and New Zealand governments.
The five Israeli banks that AXA invests in – Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot, Israel Discount Bank and First International Bank of Israel – all provide “direct and substantial” support to the maintenance and development of Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to reports by Human Rights Watch and the Israeli research organization Who Profits [pdf].
Elbit Systems has manufactured cluster munitions banned by international law, and white phosphorus shells, both used against Palestinian civilian populations. It also builds drones used to attack Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, and provides technology for Israel’s apartheid wall, ruled a violation of international law.
SumOfUs reported that AXA’s investments in the five Israeli banks and Elbit Systems increased from $66 million in 2018 to $91 million in 2019, despite AXI IM’s divestment from Elbit Systems.
In a report [pdf] published today, the US corporate watchdog SumOfUs documented that the French insurance giant AXA is investing over $91 million in Israel’s five largest banks and Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, all companies directly involved in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people.
A growing global coalition responded to the report findings today by pledging more protests, and launching an online campaign expected to deliver thousands of emails to AXA’s CEO, calling on AXA to respect international law and divest from the complicit Israeli companies.
The new SumOfUs research report, “Axa: Financing War Crimes [pdf]”, details AXA’s investments in the Israeli banks, which are the backbone of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, and in Elbit Systems, which profits from arming Israel’s military.
One AXA subsidiary, AXA IM, recently divested from Elbit Systems, but another AXA affiliate, AXA Equitable Holdings, has retained investments in Elbit. In December 2018, HSBC divested from Elbit Systems, following protests by progressive British organizations.
The SumOfUs report states:
“As long as these companies support the expansion, construction and maintenance of the illegal Israeli settlements and associated infrastructure, in addition to the unlawful use of armed force against Palestinians, AXA’s investments will make it complicit in serious violations of international law, potentially guilty of French law violation, and definitely in contradiction with its responsible investment policies.”
Imen Habib, coordinator of BDS France, a leading member of the Coalition Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid, said:
“Israel can only maintain its regime of occupation and apartheid over the Palestinian people through support from governments and companies such as AXA. As long as AXA maintains its investments in these Israeli banks and Elbit Systems, protests by our growing global coalition will intensify. With Israel and the US, with the European Union’s complicity, plotting to undermine Palestinian rights to justice, freedom and self-determination, it’s even more vital that principled civil society coalitions hold complicit companies such as AXA to account.”
Over the last year, the Coalition to Stop AXA Assistance to Israeli Apartheid, which has grown to include groups in nine countries in Europe and the Arab world, has organized coordinated days of protest outside AXA offices, a protest outside of AXA’s annual meeting in Paris, and other actions.
Alys Samson Estapé, the Palestinian BDS National Committee’s Europe Coordinator, said:
An insurer should protect lives. Instead, AXA is profiting from the destruction of Palestinian lives and livelihoods. Palestinian civil society has called on companies to cut ties of complicity with companies directly involved in Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights.
To meet its obligations to respect international law, AXA must divest, following the lead of investors like the Presbyterian Church USA and the United Methodist Church (UMC), the Dutch pension fund PGGM and the Norwegian, Luxembourg and New Zealand governments.
The five Israeli banks that AXA invests in – Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot, Israel Discount Bank and First International Bank of Israel – all provide “direct and substantial” support to the maintenance and development of Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, according to reports by Human Rights Watch and the Israeli research organization Who Profits [pdf].
Elbit Systems has manufactured cluster munitions banned by international law, and white phosphorus shells, both used against Palestinian civilian populations. It also builds drones used to attack Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, and provides technology for Israel’s apartheid wall, ruled a violation of international law.
SumOfUs reported that AXA’s investments in the five Israeli banks and Elbit Systems increased from $66 million in 2018 to $91 million in 2019, despite AXI IM’s divestment from Elbit Systems.
30 june 2019
Expressing deep concern over the British Government’s decision to continue to exporting arms and ammunition to Israel, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) wrote a letter to members of the British parliament, WAFA News reported.
The Geneva-based rights organization noted that in May of 2018, the United Kingdom earned £14 million in arms sales to Israel, while the Israeli regime was simultaneously using lethal force in response to the Great Return March protests in the Gaza Strip.
Addressed to Jeremy Hunt, MP, UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Tom Tugendhat, MP, Chairman of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the letter claims that the U.K. has not stopped the export of arms, despite knowing that the weapons sold may be used in war crimes or crimes against humanity. The letter went on to say that arms exporting countries are either unaware of the full consequences of the use of these weapons, or deliberately ignore the consequences.
Selin Dyson, Euro-Med’s media and communications officer, declared that arms sales to countries, like Israel, accused of war crimes should be prohibited. Furthermore, she declared that an arms embargo should be applied to Israel, citing the UN investigation published in February 2019, which proclaimed that Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes in the context of the Great March of Return demonstrations.
Euro-Med’s letter to British parliamentarians calls attention to Article 2-4 of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations, which states ; ‘all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state’. The only exception to the rule is in the case of self-defence from an armed attack, as stated in Article 51 of the Charter. Palestinian protestors at the Gaza/Israel border are fully unarmed, therefore Israel has no defence.
Euro-Med demanded that the British Government consider the recent ruling in the UK Court of Appeal, which concluded that the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia is ‘irrational and therefore unlawful’ in light of Saudi Arabia’s repeated violation of international humanitarian law during military operations in Yemen.
The letter Euro-Med stated that it believes that Israel’s use of British-made weapons, to shoot unarmed Palestinians in the occupied territories, necessitates an arms embargo.
The Geneva-based rights organization noted that in May of 2018, the United Kingdom earned £14 million in arms sales to Israel, while the Israeli regime was simultaneously using lethal force in response to the Great Return March protests in the Gaza Strip.
Addressed to Jeremy Hunt, MP, UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Tom Tugendhat, MP, Chairman of the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the letter claims that the U.K. has not stopped the export of arms, despite knowing that the weapons sold may be used in war crimes or crimes against humanity. The letter went on to say that arms exporting countries are either unaware of the full consequences of the use of these weapons, or deliberately ignore the consequences.
Selin Dyson, Euro-Med’s media and communications officer, declared that arms sales to countries, like Israel, accused of war crimes should be prohibited. Furthermore, she declared that an arms embargo should be applied to Israel, citing the UN investigation published in February 2019, which proclaimed that Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes in the context of the Great March of Return demonstrations.
Euro-Med’s letter to British parliamentarians calls attention to Article 2-4 of the 1945 Charter of the United Nations, which states ; ‘all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state’. The only exception to the rule is in the case of self-defence from an armed attack, as stated in Article 51 of the Charter. Palestinian protestors at the Gaza/Israel border are fully unarmed, therefore Israel has no defence.
Euro-Med demanded that the British Government consider the recent ruling in the UK Court of Appeal, which concluded that the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia is ‘irrational and therefore unlawful’ in light of Saudi Arabia’s repeated violation of international humanitarian law during military operations in Yemen.
The letter Euro-Med stated that it believes that Israel’s use of British-made weapons, to shoot unarmed Palestinians in the occupied territories, necessitates an arms embargo.
