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12/27 Petition to Biden & U.S. Congress
There is a wealth of prior and current reports supporting Israel’s repeated, gross human rights violations against Palestinians. In an interview with Al Jazeera on 12/27, international lawyer Toby Cadman has advised there is credible, and mounting evidence that Israel is committing war crimes.
CIRIGHTS recent scoring for every internationally recognized human right across every country in the world, reveals Israel’s failing 40% grade. Key findings for this gradation show that Israel places restrictions on the freedoms of speech and of the press. They have the worst possible score for allowing human rights groups to operate by making it nearly impossible due to violence, shutdown of operations, and laws that block NGO access to help vulnerable people. Israel has also demonstrated what the report calls “brutality-based mass atrocities”. Given the proven suppression of information and NGO access to properly investigate gross human rights violations, I personally believe their failing 40% grade is too high.
Israeli-led NGOs like the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, have consistently reported on, provided credible evidence of, and corroborated reports from other human rights organizations showing the clear pattern of gross human rights violations by the state of Israel against Palestinians.
As of 12/27, approximately 21,100 – 29,100 Palestinians have been murdered since 10/7 in the Gaza strip. Throughout the recent iteration of this genocide, my government has continued to supply Israel weapons from the WRSA-I, as well as propose legislation that would secure further funding of, military training and material support for, and diplomatic cover to legitimize the actions of Israel. This is in direct violation of our own laws. I implore you to respect the rule of law in our country and enforce Leahy law.
Anything less than an immediate, permanent ceasefire with unrestricted humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip is unconscionable. You need to step up and show the American people you stand on the right side of history. Come 2024 elections, I and so many others will remember what you’ve done now. I will never vote for genocide-apologists and supporters ever again.
SOURCES
Al Jazeera “Evidence ‘mounting’ for Israeli war crimes prosecution: Lawyer“*
*Cited from Al Jazeera’s 12/27 Live Updates page, in my experience when a new day refreshes the current feed is closed. I will do my best to remember to locate the permanent citation for this interview and update this post.
Leahy Law, WRSA-I & Israel’s Gross Human Rights Violations*
U.S. Department of State “About the Leahy Law – FACT SHEET“
U.S. Department of State “PP410 INTRODUCTION TO LEAHY VETTING POLICY”
U.S. Department of State “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Israel, West Bank and Gaza“
U.S. Congressional Research Report “Global Human Rights: Security Forces Vetting (“Leahy Laws”)“
U.S. Congressional Research Report “Defense Primer: Department of Defense Pre-Positioned Materiel“
U.S. Congressional Research Report “Israel and Hamas 2023 Conflict In Brief: Overview, U.S. Policy, and Options for Congress“
U.S. Congressional Research Report “Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)“
U.S. Congressional Research Report “Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations“
Save The Children’s 2023 report “Injustice: Palestinian children’s experience of the Israeli military detention system“
Statement Submitted to the Human Rights Council by Organization for Defending Victims of Violence and Khiam Rehabilitation Center (A/HRC/51/NGO/132): “Gross Violations of the Human Rights Law and Humanitarian Law by Israel in Palestinian Territories“
Human Rights Watch’s 2021 report “A Threshold Crossed – Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution“
U.N. Human Rights Council Special Report 2022 “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Israel has imposed upon Palestine an apartheid reality in a post-apartheid world“
Amnesty International “Defending the rule of law, enforcing apartheid – the double life of Israel’s judiciary“
Haaretz “Communications Minister Threatens Haaretz, Suggests Penalizing Its Gaza War Coverage“
Human Rights Watch “Israeli Authorities’ Cutting of Water Leading to Public Health Crisis in Gaza”
AA “Israeli airstrike hits Gaza water reservoir supplying Rafah neighborhoods”
World Health Organization “WHO appeals for protection of the health system from further attacks and degradation of its capacity“
World Food Programme “Statement by WFP Deputy Executive Director after visit to Gaza”
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel “War Crimes in the Interrogation Chamber: The Israeli Systematic Policy of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, Unlawful Deportation, and Denial of Fair Trial of Palestinian Detainees“
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel “KILLING AT UMM AL-HIRAN“
Journal of Ethics, Medicine and Public Health Volume 18, September 2021 “Police violence in Israel towards people with mental disabilities“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “Home Demolition as Collective Punishment“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “Settler Violence = State Violence“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “Torture and Abuse in Interrogation“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “Water Crisis“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “B’Tselem calls for ceasefire in Gaza Strip“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “Israeli organizations to President Biden: stop the humanitarian catastrophe“
B’Tselem The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not a side effect. It is the policy“
The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“
972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“
CI Rights ”Human Rights Datasets“
CI Rights ”Global Human Rights Grades 2023“
Reuters “White House ‘concerned’ at reports Israel used white phosphorus in Lebanon attack”
Amnesty International “Lebanon: Evidence of Israel’s unlawful use of white phosphorus in southern Lebanon as cross-border hostilities escalate”
Washington Post “Israel appears to use white phosphorus in Gaza, video shows”
Human Rights Watch “Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon”
Human Rights Watch (2009) “Rain of Fire – Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza”
The Guardian “US admits using white phosphorus in Falluja“
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health “Birth Defects in Gaza: Prevalence, Types, Familiarity and Correlation with Environmental Factors”
The Lancet “Structural birth defects in the Gaza Strip, occupied Palestinian territory: a cohort study“
Al Jazeera “Did the US cause Fallujah’s birth defects?“
Al Jazeera “Fallujah babies: Under a new kind of siege“
The Independent “Toxic munitions ‘may be cause’ of baby deaths and deformities in Fallujah“
Conflict and Health “Birth defects in Iraq and the plausibility of environmental exposure: A review“
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health “Long Term Risks to Neonatal Health from Exposure to War—9 Years Long Survey of Reproductive Health and Contamination by Weapon-Delivered Heavy Metals in Gaza, Palestine“
The Guardian “Research links rise in Falluja birth defects and cancers to US assault“
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry “Effects of White Phosphorus on Mallard Reproduction”
*This is not a comprehensive list of gross human rights violations committed by Israel ever, nor all since 10/7. This list will be updated as more credible information is compiled. I am using a synced pattern in WordPress to copy & save these sources for future use, so it’s possible if you are viewing this after the date of this post there could be sources included that are dated after.
U.S. Congressional Resolutions & Bills (both passed and proposed)*
U.S. House “H.Res.888 – Reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist.“
U.S. House “H.R.6113 – Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023”
U.S. House “H.R.6126 – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024”
U.S. House & Senate “H.Con.Res.57 – Expressing the sense of Congress supporting the State of Israel.”
U.S. House & Senate “S.510 – Expediting Israeli Aerial Refueling Act of 2023”
U.S. Senate “S.Res.417 – A resolution standing with Israel against terrorism.”
*This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. In future petitions referring to legislation both proposed and passed, I will continue to update with more important resolutions and/or bills I find. This list will be updated as more credible information is compiled. I am using a synced pattern in WordPress to copy & save these sources for future use, so it’s possible if you are viewing this after the date of this post there could be sources included that are dated after.
Estimated deaths as of 12/27 from multiple sources*
Al Jazeera quotes 21,110 dead as of 12/27. Al Jazeera always includes the most up-to-date official death tolls on their Breaking/live updates page. Because the daily live pages are refreshed so frequently for each new day, I can’t link you to a specific date. You can always check the Breaking/live section on their site for the most recent official numbers.
EuroMed Monitor quotes an estimated 29,124 dead shown on an infographic posted on their Instagram (link to post) as of 12/27. Their website has past infographics, but does not currently have this newest one included as of writing this blog post. This is not unusual- I believe they first post on social media and then add to the infographic section of their site later. Prior infographics posted on Instagram and then shown on their site have the exact same figures & data.
*Why are multiple sources used for the death count?
Associated Press “Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies“
The situation in Gaza has only gotten worse since the AP published this article on 11/21. The official numbers we are seeing from Gaza’s Ministry of Health are undercounted, and have been since at least 11/21.
EuroMed Monitor is a NGO established in 2011 that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region. They have a regional office in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. I believe their estimates are credible which is why I quote them, and will continue to, when referring to the estimated death toll.
My personal opinion is that the true number is even higher than estimated- people are dying from starvation, thirst, infections, and illnesses. Even if the genocide ended this moment, these types of deaths will unfortunately continue for some time. I believe their deaths should be counted. They may not have been shot/bombed/etc. by the Israeli military, but their deaths are directly attributable to the total siege, occupation, and intentional** destruction of civilian, water, waste management, and medical infrastructure by Israel.
**Why are you accusing Israel of intentionally destroying important infrastructure and targeting civilians?
It’s not an accusation. They’ve admitted to it.
The Guardian “‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza“
972 Magazine “‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza“
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