GIJN Webinar: Investigating the Flow of Arms and Military Aid from the US and UK to Israel
30 September 2024

The war in Gaza has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 41,000 Palestinians since the start of Israel’s military campaign. Since the early months of the war — which was launched in response to the October 7th attack by Hamas — the United States, United Kingdom, and other Western countries have supplied Israel with various types of advanced weaponry and military support at different levels, despite numerous and ongoing reports of possible war crimes against Palestinian civilians.

If you want to understand how arms from the US and the UK are impacting the ongoing war in Gaza and conflicts across the Middle East, don’t miss this webinar organized by the Global Investigative Journalism Network on September 30, 2024. The webinar will be in English with Arabic translation.

The session aims to equip investigative journalists with the skills necessary to investigate the arms trade and military aid flowing from the US and the UK to Israel. It will cover the essential skills required to understand and analyze military databases and trace military activities from the supplying country to the end-user.

The session will be moderated by journalist Rasha Qandeel, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Times for Palestine, and will feature three prominent experts who have spent years tracking their countries’ support for prolonged conflicts around the world, including in Gaza and the West Bank.

• Ari Tolany, the director of the Security Assistance Monitor program at the Center for International Policy, will delve into the key details surrounding US arms deals with Israel that have occurred during the Biden administration and will discuss how these deals are facing increasing scrutiny.
• John Chappell, an advocacy and legal fellow at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) and a contributor at Just Security, will speak about his investigation into how US-supplied weapons have been used by Israel in its attacks on Gaza, and what journalists need to know to document the use of US weapons in their own countries.
• Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence, will reveal new evidence that weapons supplied by Britain have caused civilian casualties in Gaza and will shed light on the broader role the UK plays in arming Israel.

This is more than just a discussion — it’s an opportunity to equip yourself with the tools, knowledge, and resources necessary to conduct thorough investigations into arms deals and military aid, especially in light of the ongoing war in Gaza. We will dive into the sources of these weapons, how they are used, and who benefits from them. If you are covering the war in Gaza, conflicts in the Middle East, or international arms trade, this session is for you.

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Sign up for the webinar here!

Date: Monday, 30 September 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. EDT