Nine Palestinian Americans filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government on Thursday, accusing it of abandoning them and their families in Gaza, where Israel’s ongoing war has caused widespread devastation. The lawsuit claims that the U.S. State Department discriminated against Americans of Palestinian descent by failing to evacuate them from the war zone with the same urgency and resources afforded to Americans of other backgrounds.
This legal action, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, is the second case this week challenging the government’s actions. Earlier, Palestinian families sued the U.S. State Department for its support of Israel’s military actions.
The plaintiffs argue that their constitutional right to equal protection has been violated, pointing to the U.S. government’s rapid evacuations of citizens from other conflict zones, such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Sudan. They are calling out the government for not providing the same evacuation efforts for Palestinian Americans.
The lawsuit names key U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as defendants.
A State Department spokesperson responded by stating that the department does not comment on ongoing litigation but emphasized that the safety and security of U.S. citizens worldwide is a top priority.
The war, which began after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has claimed the lives of more than 45,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The conflict has sparked accusations of war crimes and genocide, which Israel denies, and has caused a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with millions displaced and facing extreme hunger.
