A Statement on the Role of the US in Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza

A Statement on the Role of the US in Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza[1]

With Israeli war crimes in Gaza mounting into what the International Court of Justice has declared a “plausible genocide,” the Board of Directors of the Minaret of Freedom Institute (MFI) finds it necessary to supplement its previous October 2023 statement[2] on the war with a statement regarding the role of the US government. MFI is committed to following Islamic principles, which include the Quranic injunction of seeking justice, even against our own selves (in this case, our own government)[3]. We are also committed to following libertarian principles, which include opposition to imperialism and to foreign intervention.

Our earlier statement condemned Hamas’s inclusion of noncombatants in its October 7 attack on Israel, the Israeli occupation policies that provoked it, and Israel’s disproportionate retaliation. Since then, US support has enabled Israel to aggravate the situation. More than 32,000 residents of Gaza – mainly noncombatants – have been killed by Israel’s aggression. Israel has killed more children since October 7 than died in the last four years in all other conflicts around the world.[4]  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have employed collective punishment against the two million citizens of Gaza, indiscriminately bombed cities throughout the Gaza Strip, committed multiple massacres of civilians, destroyed hospitals, schools, universities, mosques and a historic church, and targeted journalists. In addition, Israel has not only blocked aid from reaching Gaza, but has bombed a food distribution center and killed several high-level aid workers[5], intentionally provoking a famine.[6] Israeli officials, military and religious leaders, and media have all articulated policies and intentions of enforcing collective punishment and committing ethnic cleansing[7]. These articulated intentions, coupled with countless criminal actions, are tantamount to war crimes insofar as they contravene the principles guiding armed conflict stipulated in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the laws set forth during the Military Tribunal at Nuremberg at the end of World War II spearheaded by US prosecutors.

The US multi-dimensional support of Israel’s war crimes makes the US an indictable co-conspirator to them. US support includes

1. billions of dollars of weapons transfers during a time of plausible genocide[8] (The US has made over one hundred weapon transfers to Israel since Oct ‘23[9], with the Biden administration intentionally bypassing congressional review for most of said weapons transfers.);[10]
2. billions of dollars in economic and military financial aid. (The US provides over $3 billion every year to Israel, and the US Senate recently approved another $14 billion to Israel in response to a request by Biden.);[11]
3. sharing training and intelligence (The US military provides warfare strategies to Israel,[12] and the CIA provides intelligence on Hamas and missing hostages.[13]);
4. terminating funding to UNRWA and pressuring other countries to follow suit, thus directly contributing to the man-made famine.[14] (This is despite reports of UNRWA staff being tortured and coerced into false confessions.);[15]
5. permitting US citizens to travel back-and-forth to Israel as members of the IDF;[16]
6. providing political support and protection (The US has vetoed 3 UN ceasefire resolutions and dismissed the ICJ ruling of “plausible genocide”);
7. providing support for Israeli lies about its conduct (Congress has gone so far as to redefine “human shields” so as to defend Israel’s so-called “collateral damage,”[17] and US officials allow themselves to be turned into Israeli propaganda tools by repeating discredited accusations of baby beheadings[18] and rapes by Hamas[19] while covering up IDF responsibility for the deaths of Israeli civilians on October 7th[20] and Israel’s ongoing sexual humiliation of Palestinians both in Gaza and in Israeli prisons.[21],[22])

A remedy is readily available, without which Israel has no incentive to obey international law or negotiate in good faith and, therefore, renders the delivery of humanitarian assistance impossible. This remedy will also facilitate the return of hostages held by Hamas and of prisoners held by Israel. It consists of the following actions by the US:

1. Stop blocking UN ceasefire resolutions and support a genuine, durable ceasefire that will allow sufficient aid to reach Gazans now suffering a man-made famine. The US’s own proposal was submitted in the full knowledge that it was in fact not a call for a ceasefire and that it contained terms that would spark vetoes from China and Russia.[23]
2. Cease all transfers of weapons and financial aid to Israel.
3. Punish US citizens who travel to Israel and commit war crimes as Canada and South Africa[24] have done and France intends to do[25](and as the US would certainly punish US citizens who go abroad and commit terrorists acts for any other group).
4. Support all legal actions, domestic and international, against politicians and countries participating in these war crimes. This is following over one dozen lawsuits and court rulings – in the ICJ, ICC, and various national courts – which are against supporters of Israels war crimes.[26]
5. Issue a public condemnation of Israeli war crimes.
6. Seek an immediate end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, which includes accepting the right of Palestinians to return and to self-determination.
7. Make financial restitution to the victims of these acts of retaliation by rebuilding what has been so gratuitously destroyed by Israel’s wanton aggression funded and encouraged by the US government.

(signed)

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad
Omar Hisham Altalib
Charles E. Butterworth
Ramy Osman
Maliha Sheikh
Antony Sullivan
——-

[1]      “[T]he expression ‘Israel-Hamas war’ … not only misdescribes what is happening in Gaza, it also helps to motivate Israel’s ruthless onslaught on civilians since the October 7th Hamas attack.” Talal Asad, “Reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” Humanity Journal (3/21/2024). https://humanityjournal.org/blog/reflections-on-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/

[2]      Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, Omar Hisham Altalib, Charles E. Butterworth, Ramy Osman, Maliha Sheikh, and Antony Sullivan, “Statement on the Gaza-Israeli War, Minaret of Freedom Institute. (10/30/2023)  https://blog.minaret.org/?p=88161

[3]      Qur’an 4:135

[4]      United Nations, “Gaza: Number of children killed higher than from four years of world conflict,” UN News (3/24/2024) https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147512

[5]      John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Emily Rose and Farah Saafan, “Destruction, Lawlessness and Red Tape Hobble aid as Gazans Go Hungry,” Reuters (3/26/2024) https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/destruction-lawlessness-red-tape-hobble-aid-gazans-go-hungry-2024-03-25/

[6]      United Nations, “Imminent famine in northern Gaza is ‘entirely man-made disaster’: Guterres,” UN News (3/18/2024) https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147656

[7]      Khalid Elassaad, Matthew Gill, Nadir Tareen, and Sharon Fawcett, “Israel Quotes” https://www.israelquotes.com;

[8]      United Nations, “Arms Exports to Israel Must Stop Immediately: UN Experts,” Office of the /high Commissioner on /human Rights (2/23/2024). https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/02/arms-exports-israel-must-stop-immediately-un-experts

[9]      John Hudson, “U.S. Floods Arms into Israel Despite Mounting Alarm over War’s Conduct,” Washington Post (3/6/2024). https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/03/06/us-weapons-israel-gaza

[10]    Stephen Semler, “Joe Biden Is Shipping Weapons to Israel Every 36 Hours,” Jacobin (3/13/2024). https://jacobin.com/2024/03/biden-weapons-israel-gaza-palestine

[11]    Jon Hoffman, “Israel Is a Strategic Liability for the United States,” Cato Institute (3/22/2024). https://www.cato.org/commentary/israel-strategic-liability-united-states

[12]   David H. Petreus, Anthony C. Zinni, and Karen J. DeYoung, “American Military Leadership in the Middle East,” Council on Foreign Relations (2/28/2024). https://www.cfr.org/event/american-military-leadership-middle-east    

[13]   Gada Zeig, “CIA Providing Intel to Israel on Hamas Leaders, Gaza Hostages,” Jerusalem Post (1/13/2024). https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-781995  

[14]    European Union, “European Humanitarian Forum: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the Opening Ceremony,” The Diplomatic Service of the European Union (3/18/2024).   https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/european-humanitarian-forum-speech-high-representativevice-president-josep-borrell-opening-ceremony_en

[15]    Reuters, “UNRWA Report Says Israel Coerced Some Agency Employees to Falsely Admit Hamas Links” Reuters (3/8/2024). https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/unrwa-report-says-israel-coerced-some-agency-employees-falsely-admit-hamas-links-2024-03-08

[16]    Steve Hendrix and Shira Rubins “The American Citizens Fighting and Dying for Israel in the Gaza War,” Washington Post (2/22/2024). https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/22/israel-gaza-war-americans-killed

[17]    Stephen Zunes, “US Has Redefined ‘Human Shields’ to Enable Israel’s Slaughter of Gaza Civilians,” Truthout (3/22/2024). https://truthout.org/articles/us-has-redefined-human-shields-to-enable-israels-slaughter-of-gaza-civilians

[18]    Jeremy Scahill, “Joe Biden Keeps Repeating His False Claim That He Saw Pictures of Beheaded Babies,” The Intercept (12/14/2023). https://theintercept.com/2023/12/14/israel-biden-beheaded-babies-false/

[19]    Arun Gupta, “Claims of Mass Rape by Hamas Unravel Upon Investigation,” Yes Magazine (3/5/2024). https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2024/03/05/israel-hamas-oct7-report-gaza

[20]    Julia Frankel and Alon Bernstein, “Friendly Fire May Have Killed Their Relatives on Oct. 7. These Israeli Families Want Answers Now,” Associated Press (1/11/2024). https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-hostages-investigation-friendly-fire-3b6fdd4592957340b32a8ee71505b8e9

[21]    Richard Roth, Kareem El Damanhoury and Richard Allen Greene, “UN Experts Demand Investigation into Claims Israeli Forces Killed, Raped and Sexually Assaulted Palestinian Women and Girls,” CNN (2/20/2024).  https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/20/middleeast/israel-hamas-un-investigation-sexual-abuse-intl/index.html

[22]    Middle Easy Eye Staff, “Israeli General Says US Official Accused Army of Sexually Abusing Palestinian Women,” Middle East Eye (3/25/2024). https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-general-says-us-official-accused-army-sexually-abusing-palestinian-women

[23]   Patrick Wintour, “What did US Gaza Ceasefire Resolution Say and Why Did Russia and China Veto It?” The Guardian (3/22/2024). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/22/us-gaza-ceasefire-resolution-explainer?trk=public_post_comment-text   

[24]    Gerald Imray, “South Africa’s Foreign Minister Says Citizens Fighting with Israeli Forces in Gaza Will Be Arrested,” Associated Press (3/13/2024). https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-military-gaza-war-genocide-0f17e9cbda2a3e2d90829b65606a2f14

[25]    Palestine Chronicle Staff, “France ‘Intends Legal Action’ Against French-Israeli Soldiers Complicit in Gaza War Crimes – Report,” Palestine Chronicle (4/2/2024). https://www.palestinechronicle.com/france-intends-legal-action-against-french-israeli-soldiers-complicit-in-gaza-war-crimes-report/

[26]    “War Crimes in the Israel–Hamas War,” Wikipedia (accessed 4/3/2024).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_crimes_in_the_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war#Lawsuits

ImadadDean