Joshua S. Levy Dec. 28, 2023
Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts
300 State Street, Suite 230
Springfield, MA 01105
Dear U.S. Attorney Levy:
We ask that you immediately enforce the Leahy Law, Section 362, Title 10 U.S. Code, by closing the Massachusetts operations of General Dynamics, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, RTX Raytheon, and any other military contractor in the state that is providing military equipment or services of any kind to the Israel Defense Forces and that you apply the Leahy Law to these firms nationally, if possible.
Under the Leahy Law, the U.S. is forbidden to provide weapons to military units that are grossly violating human rights, which Israel is most certainly doing.
Indeed, on October 18, 2023, Josh Paul, a high-ranking U.S. State Department official with responsibility for enforcing the Leahy Law, resigned from his post because the Leahy Law was being violated with respect to Israel. For more specifics, please see the attached declaration by Mr. Paul filed by Defense for Children – Palestine in Case No.: 23-CV-05829 filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The fact that the President and the Congress have chosen not to enforce the Leahy Law does not excuse the weapons makers from obeying that law.
In view of the failure of our elected officials to meet their Constitutional responsibility to enforce the Leahy Law, we believe it is our responsibility to inform you of the flagrant violation of this law and to respectfully demand that you act to enforce it, an act of Congress, the on-going violation of which is, minute by minute, enabling the massive slaughter, and abject suffering of more than two million of our fellow human-beings in Gaza.
In addition, we urge you to act, to the maximum degree within your authority, to ensure that the rank-and-file workers in the aforementioned firms continue to be paid while operations are halted and until all weapons transfers from the U.S. to Israel are stopped.
Please advise us promptly of your plan to see to it that the Leahy Law is enforced.
Thank you in advance,
Jeanne Allen, Easthampton, MA
The Rev. Dr. Peter Kakos, Northampton, MA
Nick Mottern, Northampton, MA
Members – Leahy Fast for Palestine
Please respond to Mr. Mottern
16 Strong Avenue
Northampton, MA 01060
(914) 806-6179
ATTACHMENT – JOSH PAUL DECLARATION
https://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/attach/2023/12/44-7_12-22-23_Paul-Decl_w.pdf