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Invoking the Leahy Law on behalf of
Abir Aramin’s Family


According to Senator Leahy, his law "makes it clear that when credible evidence of human rights violations exists, U.S.aid must stop. But, it provides the necessary flexibility to allow the U.S. to advance its foreign policy objectives in these countries."

What Happened to Abir? In 2007, a 10 year old little girl, Abir Aramin, was hit by an Israeli soldier’s rubber bullet as she, her sister, and her friend left a shop just across the street from her school in Anata, a town adjacent to Jerusalem. The soldier served with the Israeli Border Police. Abir had just finished her math test and they bought candy to celebrate. The street was empty, but for the military jeep. One shot was fired, hitting the child in the back of her head.

Rebuilding Alliance worked with Abir’s family, Combatants for Peace, and hundreds of people throughout the world to build playgrounds in Abir’s memory. At the same time, we did our best to engage the U.S. Leahy Law on Abir’s family’s behalf, in the hope that we would prevent this from happening to other Palestinian children. The Leahy Law should have prohibited the United States from extending any funding, aid or training, to the individuals and the Israeli Border Police unit that committed the gross violation of Abir’s human right to live, until the perpetrators would be brought to justice. However, in 2012, their case was dismissed without trial.

On September 24, 2019, the U.S. Department of State held a conference entitled, “Reviewing Implementation of the Leahy Laws.” Donna Baranski-Walker, Founder and Executive Director of the Rebuilding Alliance, held a picture of Abir Aramin for the duration of the conference. Many presenting were familiar with Abir’s case and speakers acknowledged that the Leahy Law had failed Abir and her family.

Why did the Leahy Law fail Abir Aramin and her family? The Leahy law states that “No assistance shall be furnished under this Act or the Arms Export Control Act to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.” — and a waiver can be sought if the perpetrators are brought to justice. Here, the Israeli Civil Court ruled in favor of Abir and found the state culpable in the crime. However, the Israel criminal court dismissed the case without trial: the perpetrators were never brought to justice.  

In 2010 and 2011, while the Leahy evaluation process was underway in this case, the Israeli Border Police came to the U.S. and participated in training exercises in the ‘Urban Shield’ held in Alameda County, California. The Israeli Border Police trained alongside the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department and other police forces worldwide, including the Oakland Police Department in Alameda County, winning some of the expo’s competitions in 2010 and 2011.

Why this matters? Through application of the Leahy Law, Abir Aramin’s case has the potential to rein-in rogue Border Police units and so prevent shootings of other Palestinian children. Rebuilding Alliance is forming a team to ask the State Deparment to reopen Abir Aramin’s Leahy Law case.

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