Palestinian human rights organizations, together with Palestinians in Gaza and the U.S., filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court last November against President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Austin for the U.S. officials’ failure to prevent and complicity in the Israeli government’s unfolding genocide against them, their families, and the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
On behalf of Palestinian plaintiffs, the Center for Constitutional Rights filed the case against the three high-level U.S. officials for violations of customary international law, codified in the 1948 Genocide Convention and the corresponding Genocide Convention Implementation Act (18 U.S.C. § 1091) passed by the U.S. Congress in 1988.
Asians are no stranger to the horrors of genocide and the U.S. government’s failure to take action to prevent a genocide. The genocide against Cambodians was one of the worst tragedies in human history, while the Rohingya of Myanmar continue to be victims of armed attacks, massive scale violence, and serious human rights violations. In 1971, U.S. warships sent weapons and military aid to Pakistan, aiding and abetting the genocide against Bangladeshis. These war criminals have not been brought to justice, and U.S. Empire continues to profiteer off war while millions of Palestinians are targeted by our airstrikes and bombs. We are taking action to say never again – hold all war criminals accountable to justice and end U.S. aid to Israel.
The lawsuit situates the unfolding genocide within a history of Israeli actions against the Palestinian people, starting with the Nakba in 1948. It explicitly calls out how defendants Biden, Blinken, and Austin have not only failed to prevent the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza, but have helped advance the gravest of crimes by continuing to provide Israel with unconditional military and diplomatic support, coordinating closely on military strategy, and undermining efforts by the international community to stop Israel’s unrelenting and unprecedented bombing campaign and total siege of Gaza.
On Friday, January 26, the hearing on preliminary injunction motion will be held in Oakland, California. We’re joining our partners at CCR to support the lawsuit brought against President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Austin for their failure to prevent – and complicity in – Israel’s unfolding genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Organizations + actions to tag:
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- The Rising Majority
