The residents of the Jenin refugee camp have been recurrent targets of Israeli military violence, particularly since the second intifada in 2002. The assault in July of this year was executed using weapons from US arms deals, including the Boeing-made Apache helicopter.
Despite Biden's Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, which prohibits authorizing arms transfers if the recipient is likely to use them for "grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949," including violence against children, these deals continue. The Jenin attack resulted in the death of 4 children, and over 35 children have been killed by Israel this year. The same Apache helicopter used in the July attack was also used in 2002, leading to the killing of 53 Palestinians, the destruction of over 400 homes, and the displacement of more than a quarter of the camp’s population.
Despite the use of the Apache helicopter by Israel to breach the Geneva Conventions in 2002, the U.S. government has taken no action to halt future arms sales to Israel. These actions clearly violate both the CAT policy and international law, but the arms deals are still being authorized, implicating the US in the ongoing occupation. As US citizens, and citizens of the world, we all have the responsibility to use our personal and collective power in every capacity we can.
Send a letter to Congress demanding they stop making exceptions for Israel!