April 30, 2024 (EIRNS)—A new report from Amnesty International obtained on April 29 by the Washington Post alleges that Israel is not in compliance with international law, and fails to meet the standards of U.S. National Security Memorandum-20 (NSM-20). NSM-20 requires that countries may not use U.S. weapons against civilians and also requires countries receiving U.S. weapons to allow U.S. humanitarian aid to civilians. Amnesty’s report details how Israel used U.S.-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) against civilians, which is in violation of international law, fails to meet the standards of NSM-20, and potentially could be a war crime.
The White House is required to report to Congress by May 8 to show how Israel complies with all legal requirements, or President Biden would be required to immediately halt all weapons shipments to Israel. At great personal risk, Amnesty inspected sites in Rafah where 95 civilians died in two residential buildings and found U.S.-made weapons fragments. With so much proof, the burden is now on the White House to prove compliance.
