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Gaza, Lebanon, and Middle East arms complicity

US arms transfers and diplomatic actions enabling military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, including ceasefire vetoes and white phosphorus use.

6 records · Last updated March 26, 2026

These records trace the chain of complicity from arms transfers through vetoes to documented use of prohibited weapons.

Included records

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Updated March 26, 2026 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

America First Arms Transfer Strategy: Human Rights Safeguards Removed From Weapons Exports

An executive order stripped human rights safeguards from the US arms transfer framework, replacing decades of bipartisan policy with a commerce-first approach. The subsequent emergency bypass of congressional review for $23+ billion in Gulf arms sales demonstrated the immediate consequences of removing these guardrails.

  • Executive Order 14383, signed February 6, 2026, establishes the 'America First Arms Transfer Strategy,' which reorders US arms export priorities to prioritize commercial and economic objectives over strategic, human rights, and humanitarian considerations.
  • The EO makes no mention of human rights, international humanitarian law, or civilian protection — a stark departure from all previous administrations' arms transfer policies, including Trump's own 2018 policy.
  • Biden's 2023 policy had committed the US to refrain from transfers 'more likely than not' to contribute to atrocities. This standard has been eliminated.
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6
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arms transfersexecutive orderhuman rightsarms sales
Updated March 26, 2026 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Reported record

Emergency Arms Sales to Gulf States: $23 Billion Bypassing Congressional Review

Using emergency waivers under the Arms Export Control Act, the administration has bypassed Congress to approve massive arms sales to Gulf states, including to the UAE despite documented evidence of UAE weapons flowing to the RSF in Sudan's genocide. The simultaneous rescission of NSM-20 removed all human rights conditions from US arms transfers.

  • The Trump administration invoked wartime emergency powers to force through more than $23 billion in arms sales to the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan, bypassing the mandatory congressional review process under the Arms Export Control Act.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an emergency waiver to bypass the standard 30-day congressional review period, citing the Iran war as justification.
  • The UAE has been documented arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which the US State Department determined in January 2025 was committing genocide. A UN panel identified an RSF supply route running from Abu Dhabi International Airport through eastern Chad into western Sudan.
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12
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arms salescongressional bypassUAESudan genocide
Updated March 25, 2026 Complicity in Genocide
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

2026 Lebanon War — US Weapons Complicity in Mass Civilian Casualties and White Phosphorus Attacks

Israel's 2026 Lebanon offensive — conducted with US-supplied weapons including white phosphorus munitions used over civilian areas — has killed over 1,000 people, wounded nearly 3,000, and displaced 700,000. The United States bears complicity through continued arms transfers despite documented violations. HRW and UN experts have called for suspension of military assistance.

  • Since the renewed Israeli offensive beginning March 2, 2026, over 1,072 people have been killed in Lebanon including at least 121 children, with nearly 3,000 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.
  • Nearly 700,000 people — 20% of Lebanon's population — have been displaced, including 200,000 children. An additional 85,000-90,000 have fled across the border to Syria.
  • Human Rights Watch documented in a March 9, 2026 report that Israel unlawfully used white phosphorus in Lebanon, with airburst munitions deployed over residential areas. HRW classified the use as unlawfully indiscriminate.
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Lebanon warwhite phosphorusUS weaponscivilian casualties
Updated March 25, 2026 Foreign Policy & War
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Official executive action

Repeated US Vetoes of UN Security Council Gaza Ceasefire Resolutions

The US was the sole dissenter blocking Gaza ceasefire resolutions supported by all other Security Council members, while famine and allegations of genocide continued in Gaza. The pattern of vetoes enabled continued military operations with devastating humanitarian consequences.

  • In June 2025, the US cast its sole veto against a resolution demanding 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza' — the resolution received 14 votes in favor from all other council members.
  • In September 2025, the US vetoed another ceasefire resolution, the sixth such veto, being the only member to not support it. The vote took place at the council's 10,000th meeting, where famine and possible genocide were discussed.
  • US Representative Dorothy Shea described the resolutions as 'unacceptable,' stating the US would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas or call for Hamas to disarm.
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6
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GazaceasefireUN Security Councilveto
Updated March 25, 2026 Complicity in Genocide
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

US Arms Transfers to Israel During ICJ Genocide Proceedings

Continued US arms transfers to Israel during ICJ genocide proceedings, including emergency bypasses of Congressional review, combined with active diplomatic defense of Israel at the ICJ, raising serious questions of complicity in genocide under the Genocide Convention.

  • Since October 2023, the US has delivered 90,000 tons of arms to Israel on 800 transport planes and 140 ships, continuing throughout ICJ genocide proceedings.
  • The Trump administration approved 12,000+ thousand-pound bombs via emergency authority in 2026, bypassing Congressional review of the transfer.
  • On March 12, 2026, the US filed an unprecedented declaration of intervention at the ICJ defending Israel against genocide charges brought by South Africa.
Sources
7
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arms transfersICJgenocideGaza
Updated March 25, 2026 Complicity in Genocide
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

US-Supplied White Phosphorus Used Over Lebanese Civilian Areas

Israel deployed US-supplied white phosphorus over Lebanese civilian areas in 191 attacks across 17+ municipalities since October 2023, continuing through March 2026. HRW verified the attacks as unlawfully indiscriminate and called for suspension of US arms transfers.

  • Over 918 hectares hit across 191 white phosphorus attacks in southern Lebanon since October 2023, with 39% striking directly over civilian areas and only 44% in uninhabited zones.
  • HRW verified the March 3, 2026 use of airburst white phosphorus over residential homes in Yohmor, classifying it as unlawfully indiscriminate under international humanitarian law.
  • US-supplied white phosphorus munitions were confirmed used in attacks on Lebanese border villages including Dhayra, documented by both Amnesty International and the Washington Post.
Sources
7
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white phosphorusLebanonIsraelUS arms transfers