Foreign Assistance Act Mandates Report to Congress on Israel’s Human Rights Record

The Foreign Assistance Act mandates the U.S. Department of State to report annually to Congress on the human rights records of all states receiving foreign assistance. Multiple NGOs, including the Guild, addressed concerns about Israel to the Obama administration’s new Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Michael Posner, in advance of his congressional report. The NGOs’ letter makes a record of deficiencies spanning many years in the annual Human Rights Country Reports on Israel. These failings have included the lack of specific information required under the FAA. For the 2009 reporting cycle, the NGOs’ letter emphasizes, the findings of the Fact-Finding Mission on Gaza (a UN special-mandate holder) must be reported to Congress, so that it may determine whether continued U.S. military and economic aid is consistent with federal law.
Read the NGOs’ Letter to Assistant Secretary Posner