Why Palestinian Families Are Suing the State Department for Failing to Enforce the Leahy Law

Article by Sarah Leah Whitson discusses a lawsuit filed by five Palestinian families against the US State Department, alleging its failure to enforce the Leahy Law regarding US military assistance to Israel. The Leahy Law prohibits US aid to foreign security forces involved in gross human rights violations. Despite extensive documentation of abuses by Israeli forces, the State Department has not deemed any Israeli unit ineligible for aid. The plaintiffs, supported by the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), seek to compel the State Department to adhere to the law, arguing that proper enforcement could halt US assistance to Israeli security forces implicated in human rights violations. This source is valuable for research on the Leahy Law, US complicity, US military aid to Israel, the Gaza genocide, Israeli war crimes, human rights violations, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).