Last month, Governor Youngkin approved a 1.2 million dollar grant to Elbit Systems, an Israeli military technology company, to expand their headquarters in Roanoke, VA. This is just one of several Israeli weapon manufacturer companies, with offices in Virginia, who have received grants, tax incentives, and public funds directly from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This is happening during an ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This year, a United Nations inquiry found reasonable grounds to believe that serious violations of international humanitarian law have occurred in Gaza. The International Criminal Court has advanced investigations into alleged crimes against civilians, including starvation and the targeting of civilians. Al Jazeera and the BBC have recently reported that Israel has continued to bomb civilians in Gaza, violating the ceasefire. Virginia taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize companies linked to violence abroad or potential human rights abuses.
