Amnesty urges Washington to keep ban on 'offensive' weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration must maintain its years-long suspension of "offensive" weapons shipments to Saudi Arabia triggered by the kingdom's bloody operations in Yemen, a leading rights group said on Tuesday.

The United States should reconsider lifting the ban on sales to the Gulf country, Amnesty International USA said, slamming the move as "reckless".

“The US and other arms-supplying states must halt all transfer of arms, equipment, and military assistance to Saudi Arabia until accountability for violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law in Yemen is established," Elizabeth Rghebi, the advocacy director for the MENA at Amnesty International USA said in the statement.

"By lifting the suspension of ‘offensive’ weapons sales to Saudi Arabia without any accountability opens a new tab for past crimes, the Biden administration is sending a message to the Saudi authorities and other governments around the world that compliance with international law is optional," Rghebi added.

The rights group said the US and international law were "clear on this issue", calling on the US government not to provide weapons when "there is a risk that they could be used to commit violations of international law".

"This goes for any country the US is providing with weapons, be it Saudi Arabia, Israel, or others," Rghebi said.

With Saudi Arabia once again seen as a pivotal player for the United States as the Gaza war enters its 10th month, the State Department announced on Monday it would return to weapons sales "in regular order with appropriate congressional notification and consultation".

"Saudi Arabia has remained a close strategic partner of the United States, and we look forward to enhancing that partnership," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

President Joe Biden took office in 2021 pledging a new approach to Saudi Arabia that emphasises human rights and immediately announced that the administration would only send "defensive" weaponry to the longtime US partner.

The step came after thousands of civilians were estimated to be killed in Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen, including children, in a campaign against the Houthi rebels.

But geopolitical considerations have changed markedly since then. The United Nations, with US support, brokered a truce in early 2022 that has largely held.

Since the truce, "there has not been a single Saudi airstrike into Yemen and cross-border fire from Yemen into Saudi Arabia has largely stopped," Patel said.

"The Saudis since that time have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours," Patel said.

Amnesty said the US was yet to support global accountability for efforts towards some justice for the people of Yemen, who were still reeling from the effects of the war and recent military escalations.

"Yemenis are facing one of the worst ongoing humanitarian crises in the world and the recent military escalation in the country, following US, UK, and Israel’s air strikes on Houthi targets, risks worsening an already grave situation for the civilian population," Rghebi said.

"The US government should support international accountability efforts that would bring much-needed justice and reparation to victims of the conflict in Yemen."