The Intercept:

In a message to Attorney General Merrick Garland and other senior officials this week, federal government attorneys invoked British abolitionist William Wilberforce: “You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”

The letter, drafted by unnamed legal and policy staff at more than two dozen federal agencies, argues that the U.S. is violating domestic and international law by providing a steady stream of weapons to Israel despite evidence of war crimes in Gaza.

Multiple provisions in U.S. law restrict the sale or provision of weapons to other countries, including the federal Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Assistance Act, and the Leahy Law. The open letter draws on evidence from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and other watchdogs to argue that continuing to provide weapons to Israel blatantly violates these laws, in addition to international treaties.

“There is strong evidence that American weapons are being used to commit a genocide and war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” reads the letter sent to the Biden administration on Monday. It was addressed to all attorneys at the White House, Justice Department, State Department, Defense Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. “To the extent that you have been involved in these decisions or asked to provide legal analyses on the potential violations, we ask that you render candid advice.”

“There’s a fear of retaliation and marginalization at speaking out over Gaza,” said a DOJ attorney who helped draft the letter and spread the word among his colleagues.

“The goal of this is to put people on the record: Do they agree with this analysis? Do they believe the U.S. is not following its own laws and policies?” the DOJ staffer said.

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In her Statement by the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Ms. Farida Shaheed on her visit to the United States of America, 29 April – 10 May 2024, the U.N. Rapporteur on Education visited the U.S. and found concerning trends of violence against student protests, “unequal treatment of protesters based on their political stance, particularly targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators”.

[RT]