U.S. Military Aid to Israel: An Analysis of the U.S. Leahy Laws

Abstract

In this research, I will consider whether United States military aid to Israel meets the premise of the Leahy Laws. The following research aims to provide a legal analysis of the applicability of the Leahy Laws to the pertinent case of Israel. I will begin with a background discussion of reports recounting the Israeli military offensive, Operation Protective Edge of 2014. Secondly, I will provide an analysis of the military court system in the West Bank and Gaza and reports documenting the abuse of Palestinian minors, as well as Palestinian relief and charity workers, inside Israeli prisons and detention facilities. Lastly, I will analyze reports documenting the efforts by Israeli occupation forces to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem, and those within historic Palestine. Following these cases, I will discuss whether these events qualify as gross human rights violations and ultimately fulfill the definitions and restrictions presented in the Leahy Laws. Ultimately, I ask the question: Is the United States violating the Leahy Laws in its military support of Israel?