Statement on Prisoner Exchange Between Israel and Palestine, Demands Immediate U.S. Accountability for Human Rights Violations

January 19, 2025

Justice For All welcomes the prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestine, today, January 19, 2025. This agreement, a long-overdue development in the ongoing genocide, comes after 15 months of Israel’s genocidal war on Palestine. While the prisoner exchange offers a brief respite, the reality of continued attacks – evidenced by the killing of at least 72 Palestinians in Gaza following the announcement – underscores the ongoing genocide and the need for immediate action.

Justice For All calls on the U.S. government to take urgent, concrete steps to align its actions with international human rights law and stop enabling the ongoing suffering of Palestinians. Specifically:

1. Continue to Support Complete Prisoner Exchange: continue to support the complete swap of prisoners between Israel and Palestine.
2. End All Military Support to Israel: immediately cease all arms transfers and military funding to Israel, as required under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Leahy Laws, which prohibit assistance to units involved in gross human rights violations. The Senate should hold public hearings to scrutinize Israel’s use of U.S. weapons in Gaza.
3. Sanctions on Israeli Settlers and Officials: Impose sanctions on Israeli settlers involved in violent actions, as well as Israeli officials who incite or perpetuate human rights violations. Accountability must be enforced for those complicit in war crimes.
4. Cease Diplomatic Support for Israeli Military Operations: end its diplomatic support for Israel’s military operations, which include attacks on civilians, and publicly denounce Israel’s violations of international law, ensuring that actions are taken to hold Israel accountable.
5. Review of U.S.-Israel Agreements: conduct a thorough review of U.S.-Israel agreements to ensure that U.S. financial and military assistance does not support the illegal occupation and settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territories.
6. Advocacy for the Removal of Settlers and Reparations: advocate for the removal of all Israeli settlers from occupied Palestinian territories and work to ensure reparations for Palestinians whose land and livelihoods have been destroyed by these illegal activities.
7. Investigate and Prosecute Americans in the Israeli Defense Forces: investigate and prosecute Americans serving in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) for potential war crimes under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.
8. Arrest Israeli Officials Linked to War Crimes: If Israeli officials such as PRime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant enter U.S. territory, they should be arrested and prosecuted under the INternational Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for their involvement in war crimes.
9. Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction for Gaza: immediately allocate $5 billion in humanitarian aid to rebuild Gaza and provide urgent assistance to the Palestinian people. This aid should be directed toward repairing infrastructure destroyed by U.S.-supplied Israeli bombs, supporting reparations for victims, and addressing the profound trauma suffered by Palestinians.
10. Recognition of the State of Palestine: officially recognize the State of Palestine and its inherent right to self-determination without conditioning this recognition on negotiations with Israel.