ReThinking Foreign Policy is proud to join more than 50 human rights, faith-based and foreign-policy organizations calling on Congress to publicly oppose President Donald Trump’s proposed sale of $2.8 billion worth of weapons to Israel.
The groups called on individual members to publicly and clearly state their opposition to the sale and for Congress to immediately put through a resolution of disapproval when and if the White House notifies them formally of the proposed sale.
Last month, the State Department informally told some congressional committees of its intention to sell Israel 40,000 2,000-pound MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs, and 20,000 bunker-busting I-2000 penetrator. These are all weapons that cause an enormous amount of destruction and would be deadly if used in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and populated areas of Iran, all of which have been targeted by Israel in recent months.
The overwhelming majority of the weapons would be paid for through the Foreign Military Financing program (FMF), which means American taxpayers will once again be footing the bill for Israel’s wars and attacks on civilians.
“These continued arms transfers to the Israeli government are in violation of international law and US law, which includes restrictions on arms transfers to countries engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of human rights or that restrict the delivery of US humanitarian assistance,” the letter states.
You can read the full text of the letter here. Below is the list of organizations that signed the letter, including Human Rights Watch, Oxfam America, Amnesty International USA, and the Episcopal Church, among many others.
About Face: Veterans Against the War
The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice
American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER)
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Amnesty International USA
A New Policy
Arms Control Association
Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security
Christians for a Free Palestine, Catholic Caucus
Church of the Brethren, Office of Peacebuilding and Policy
Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for International Policy Advocacy
Defending Rights & Dissent
Center for Jewish Nonviolence
Center for Victims of Torture
CommonDefense.us
Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ
Demand Progress
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
IfNotNow Movement
Institute for Policy Studies – New Internationalism Project
Jewish Voice for Peace
Just Foreign Policy
HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
IMEU Policy Project
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Middle East Children’s Alliance
Minnesota Peace Project
MPower Change Action Fund
Nonviolent Peaceforce
The Oakland Institute
Oxfam America
Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
ReThinking Foreign Policy
RootsAction
Saferworld
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team
SolidarityINFOService
The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
United for Peace and Justice
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action
West Virginia Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions
Win Without War
Women for Weapons Trade Transparency