Gaza war: Israel's use of weapons may have violated international law, says US
The Biden administration has already put a hold on one package of arms in a major policy shift and said the US was reviewing others even as it reiterated long-term support for Israel.
- May 11, 2024,
- Updated May 11, 2024 9:20 AM IST
The Biden administration said Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in Gaza, in what seems to be the strongest criticism to date of its long-standing ally in the Middle East.
But the administration stopped short of a definitive assessment, saying that due to the chaos of the war in Gaza, it could not verify specific instances where the use of those weapons might have been involved in alleged breaches, Reuters reported.
The assessment came in a 46-page unclassified State Department report to Congress required under a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) that President Joe Biden issued in early February.
The findings risk souring of ties with Israel at a time when the allies are increasingly at odds over Israel's plans to strike Rafah, a move Washington has warned against.
The Biden administration has already put a hold on one package of arms in a major policy shift and said the US was reviewing others even as it reiterated long-term support for Israel.
The State Department's report included contradictions: It listed numerous credible reports of civilian harm and said Israel did not at first cooperate with Washington to boost humanitarian assistance to the enclave. But in each instance, it said it could not make a definitive assessment whether any breaches of law had occurred, the Reuters report added.
"Given Israel's significant reliance on US-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm," the State Department said in the report.
"Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether US defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL or IHRL in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report," it said.
Because of that, the administration said it still finds credible Israel's assurances that it is using US weapons in accordance with international law.
US officials at the State Department have been divided over the issue. Reuters reported in late April that officials in at least four bureaus inside the agency have raised serious concerns over Israel's conduct in Gaza, laying out specific examples where the country might be in breach of the law.
Rights group Amnesty International in late April said US-supplied weapons provided to Israel have been used in "serious violations" of international humanitarian and human rights law, detailing specific cases of civilian deaths and injuries and examples of use of unlawful lethal force.
The Biden administration said Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in Gaza, in what seems to be the strongest criticism to date of its long-standing ally in the Middle East.
But the administration stopped short of a definitive assessment, saying that due to the chaos of the war in Gaza, it could not verify specific instances where the use of those weapons might have been involved in alleged breaches, Reuters reported.
The assessment came in a 46-page unclassified State Department report to Congress required under a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) that President Joe Biden issued in early February.
The findings risk souring of ties with Israel at a time when the allies are increasingly at odds over Israel's plans to strike Rafah, a move Washington has warned against.
The Biden administration has already put a hold on one package of arms in a major policy shift and said the US was reviewing others even as it reiterated long-term support for Israel.
The State Department's report included contradictions: It listed numerous credible reports of civilian harm and said Israel did not at first cooperate with Washington to boost humanitarian assistance to the enclave. But in each instance, it said it could not make a definitive assessment whether any breaches of law had occurred, the Reuters report added.
"Given Israel's significant reliance on US-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm," the State Department said in the report.
"Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether US defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL or IHRL in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report," it said.
Because of that, the administration said it still finds credible Israel's assurances that it is using US weapons in accordance with international law.
US officials at the State Department have been divided over the issue. Reuters reported in late April that officials in at least four bureaus inside the agency have raised serious concerns over Israel's conduct in Gaza, laying out specific examples where the country might be in breach of the law.
Rights group Amnesty International in late April said US-supplied weapons provided to Israel have been used in "serious violations" of international humanitarian and human rights law, detailing specific cases of civilian deaths and injuries and examples of use of unlawful lethal force.