(Washington, D.C., June 3, 2024) — Former Senior State Department official Josh Paul and economic sanctions attorney Mohsen Farshneshani have joined DAWN as senior advisors, strengthening DAWN's capacity to hold accountable extremist Israeli settlers and government officials involved in ongoing violations of human rights and the laws of war in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to press the U.S. government to follow American and international law in its security assistance to Israel, DAWN said today.
Josh Paul resigned from the State Department in October in protest of lethal U.S. arms transfers to Israel. Initially, he became affiliated with DAWN in February 2024 as a non-resident fellow. In his new role as DAWN senior advisor, Paul will expand DAWN's expertise on U.S.-Israel policy and, in particular, the issue of weapons transfers and arms sales to Israel and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, given his 11 years spent at the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
As a DAWN Sanctions Counsel, Mohsen Farshneshani will lead the sanctions nomination initiative alongside Director of Research Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man. This initiative aims to identify and recommend sanctions against individuals and entities involved in human rights abuses in Israel-Palestine and to ensure the enforcement of these measures. Farshneshani's work as an economic sanctions attorney has focused on private-sector representation, following his advocacy in trade diplomacy amid the once-promising JCPOA.
"We see again in Gaza that the Biden administration has failed to comply with U.S. laws that require cutting U.S. military aid to Israel and holding Israeli military units and officials accountable for gross violations of Palestinian rights," said DAWN's Executive Director, Sarah Leah Whitson. "Josh and Mohsen will use their substantial expertise to advance our mission of promoting accountability and justice."
Josh Paul spent more than 11 years as a Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, responsible for U.S. defense diplomacy, security assistance, and arms transfers. He previously worked on security sector reform in Iraq and the West Bank, with additional roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Army Staff, and as a Congressional staffer. Paul's critiques of the U.S.'s ongoing lethal military aid to Israel have been featured in The Washington Post, CNN, and numerous other outlets (insert links).
"A double standard in the application of U.S. law when it comes to security assistance to Israel did not start under the Biden Administration. Still, the past year's events demonstrate the urgency of changing this approach," said Paul. "We must lead with our values regarding human rights and support for democratization across the Middle East. I am proud to join an organization that has become a driving force for change in U.S. policy in this regard."
Mohsen Farshneshani commences his sanctions advocacy for Israel-Palestine as an extension of his earlier activism. His comprehensive experience advising on sanctions compliance and enforcement makes him a valuable addition to DAWN's efforts.
"For too long, extremist Israeli elements responsible for displacement and violence have operated with impunity, capitalizing on global relationships while flouting international law, U.S. foreign policy objectives, and human rights standards," Farshneshani said. "Imposing meaningful, targeted sanctions on malign actors will block their access to the U.S. financial system and assist in driving long-overdue adjustments in U.S. foreign policy on Israel-Palestine."
DAWN submitted detailed evidence to the Biden administration of gross violations of human rights by two Israeli military units, Netzah Yehuda Battalion and YAMAM, and called for them to be made ineligible for U.S. assistance under the Leahy Law. The State Department announced two weeks ago that it had determined that five Israeli security units committed gross violations of human rights. It said four units "have effectively remediated these violations." But the State Department said Secretary Blinken is "still deciding" whether to restrict military assistance to the fifth unit, the Netzah Yehuda unit. In response, DAWN called for the State Department to blacklist the Netzah Yehuda Battalion immediately.
The Biden administration also announced last week that it still finds Israel's assurances that it is using U.S. weapons under international law credible in an assessment required under National Security Memorandum (NSM)-20. DAWN had called on the State Department to suspend all military assistance to Israel in light of extensive evidence, including a leaked State Department memo, documenting the Israeli government's blocking of U.S. humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Josh Paul and Mohsen Farshneshani are available for interviews with the media. For inquiries, please contact press@dawnmena.org.
DAWN, founded in 2018 by Jamal Khashoggi, is a nonprofit organization that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights for all the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa and advocates for U.S. policies that align with these goals.
