Restricting US Military Aid to Israel in the Age of Normalization

Overview

Normalization in the Context of American Military Imperialism

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US Legislative Responses and Maintaining Israel’s QME

US Aid to Israel in the Wake of a Transformative Moment

What Needs to be Done to Restrict Aid

Activists and lobbyists must pressure policymakers and the international community to restrict US military aid to Israel, including through sanctions. They should support McCollum’s Bill, further legislation conditioning aid to Israel, and should push for legislation that tracks Israel’s military spending. They should promote grassroots groups and NGOs already dedicated to this work, including the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Adalah Justice Project, American Muslims for Palestine, and the American Friends Service Committee.
Activists, lobbyists, and policymakers must support the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which is part of a larger strategy to hold accountable corporations and companies implicated in arms deals with Israel, including Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Elbit Systems. They must join municipal campaigns and initiatives, such as Dissenter’s Divest From Death, to target these entities and their activities that contribute to the violation of Palestinians’ rights and others in the region. 
International policymakers must promote the growing movement to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing violations – whether in the halls of Congress, at the corporate level, or even at the state level – through legislation and partnerships that protect, praise, and fund them. They must concomitantly push for legislative efforts that condition aid based on accountability to human rights.
US policymakers must uplift and support the voices of US citizens who are calling, and writing letters to, their representatives demanding an end to US military support for Israel. They should also continue to sign petitions in conjunction with national campaigns working to protect Palestinians’ rights.
International policymakers must oppose and demand the revocation of anti-BDS laws which quash and delegitimize criticism of Israel, especially in the US. They must also demand that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) rescind its 2020 redefinition of anti-Semitism that includes critique of Israel, a redefinition which has already been adopted by several governments. The controversial redefinition threatens free speech, and poses a significant challenge to combating real antisemitism and promoting Palestinian human rights.

2021-09-14 | Politics | English |