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Senator Asks U.S. to Probe Israel Abuses

Leahy invokes threat to cut military aid.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and several House members asked the U.S. State Department last month to look into claims that Israel’s security forces have committed human-rights violations. The Feb. 17 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry also asked for alleged Egyptian violations to be probed. “In light of these reports, we request that you act promptly to determine their credibility and whether they trigger the Leahy Law and, if so, take appropriate action called for under the law,” the letter reads. The Leahy Law prohibits the State Department and Defense Department from supplying military assistance to foreign bodies that are known to violate human rights.