Israel
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Israel
Issues: During the fall of 2000, frustrations over the failure of the Camp David peace talks led to renewed fighting between between Palestinians and Israel forces. Violence on both sides has been well documented, with several hundred deaths and several thousand injuries - mostly Palestinian - occurring since. Israeli forces have used U.S. attack helicopters, F-16 fighter jets, tanks, and guided missiles to target Palestinian demonstrators, forces, and buildings, in what the State Department and human rights groups have called an excessive use of force against relatively lightly armed opponents. According to the State Department's human rights report, civilians and civilian-populated areas have also been targeted, even when they were not in imminent danger, in violation of their own rules of engagement. The report also noted that the Israeli military "shelled [Palestine Authority] PA institutions and Palestinian civilian areas in response to individual Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians or settlers." Amnesty International also reported on Israel's practice of "state assassinations," in which suspected terrorists have been executed without arrest or judicial review. The use of U.S. weapons to carry out these extra-judicial killings would violate the terms under which U.S. weapons may be used under the Arms Export Control Act. Prolonged fighting between Israelis and Palestinians is also intensifying tensions with Arab nations and destabilizing the region.
Since the outbreak of renewed violence, the U.S. government has authorized the sale of an additional 52 F-16I fighter jets, 9 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters, 23 AH-1F attack helicopters, and 59 UH-60L Black Hawk utility helicopters.
Status: Ongoing
Additional Background Information on Israel.