WASHINGTON – The Biden administration acknowledged Friday that Israel may have used U.S.-made weapons in the Gaza Strip, inflicting more civilian casualties than is generally accepted, but warned that the close ally of the U.S. However, the statement did not go so far as to say that it had violated Japan’s weapons policy or international humanitarian law.
The State Department has conducted hundreds of investigations and has determined there is a “reasonable assessment” of possible violations. But a senior State Department official, who requested anonymity to discuss the unclassified document, said he could not conclusively assess whether a violation occurred.
The report covers the period up to late April. Lawmakers were informed Friday afternoon.
The Biden administration said in its report that a lack of U.S. officials on the ground and Hamas’ tendency to hide behind civilians make it “difficult to assess individual incidents and reach definitive findings.” he claimed.
“Nevertheless, given Israel’s heavy reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, the defense articles covered by NSM-20 are inconsistent with established best practices for IHL obligations or mitigation. “It is reasonable to assess that it has been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 when it caused harm to civilians,” the report said.
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Although the report itself was not expected to force any changes, State Department officials said it allowed the United States to go to Israel and ask for details. The official said the intelligence gap that the United States wants Israel to close still exists.
The report’s release followed a delay of several days and a warning from Biden to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would indefinitely suspend the use of weapons used against civilians. .
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday afternoon that President Joe Biden was “aware of the contents” of the report and was “fully briefed,” but that the commander-in-chief He did not say when the remarks were read out.
The State Department missed its original Wednesday deadline to submit the report to Congress. In a national security memo issued in February, Biden promised to submit an initial report on U.S. arms transfers by May 8. After that, he will be required to report once a year.
In a February memo, Biden called on the secretary of state to “obtain certain credible written assurances from foreign governments” about accepting U.S.-made weapons, and said the Biden administration would “obtain regular assurances from foreign governments to allow for meaningful oversight.” He promised to provide a report to Congress.
The pledge comes amid pressure from Democratic lawmakers in the Biden administration to pressure Israel over its treatment of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
In addition to Israel, the State Department said it had “sought and received credible assurances” from the governments of Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Ukraine that the standards were met.
“Although there were circumstances in some countries during the reporting period that gave rise to significant concerns, the[US”Weassessthattheguaranteeisreliableandwillcontinueforthenext20days”thereportsaid
Biden said Wednesday that heavy bombs and artillery shells are being used in heavily populated areas of the Gaza Strip, as Netanyahu’s government considers a major ground invasion of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled. , said it would not send any other offensive weapons to Israel. The southern city of Gaza faced mass evacuations on Friday as Israeli forces and Hamas militants battled along the border.
The administration has vowed to continue providing Israel with defensive weapons.
Human rights experts have accused the Israeli military of overstepping the line in its war against Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said more than 34,500 Palestinians had been killed since the war began on October 7.
Amnesty International said in a report in late April that Israel used weapons supplied by the United States in “serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and in a manner inconsistent with U.S. law and policy.” evaluated. The group called on the Biden administration to halt arms transfers to Israel, citing alleged misuse and denial of humanitarian aid to civilians.
A former State Department official who resigned last year over concerns about the U.S. stance on the Israel-Hamas war is helping lead the independent task force. Last month, the group sent a report to the Biden administration accusing Israel of “systematic disregard for fundamental principles of American and international law.”
The State Department addressed the allegations in a report on Friday, asserting that Israel had taken steps to protect civilians, but human rights groups said “Israel’s civilian mitigation efforts have been inconsistent and ineffective.” “The government considers the country to be inadequate, inadequate, and unable to provide protection to civilians who are in a position where they cannot be protected.” Or they chose not to relocate. ”
“Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices to reduce harm to civilians in military operations, but the results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties, are “All cases raise significant questions about whether the Defense Forces are effectively utilizing them in military operations,” the report states.
The allocation of humanitarian aid also remains a serious problem, the State Department said in a summary of the report’s key findings. However, it did not assess that the Israeli government was intentionally provoking a crisis or violating U.S. law.
“The United States has been deeply concerned about Israel’s actions and inactions in the period since October 7, which have contributed significantly to its inability to provide needed assistance on a large scale, sustainably, and predictably. Although the overall level of reach to Palestinian civilians has improved, it remains inadequate.” “We have not assessed that it prohibits or restricts the use of
The Center for American Progress, which typically agrees with Biden but has broken with the administration on Israel policy, echoed the findings in a statement from President and CEO Patrick Gaspard on Friday. He reprimanded the State Department.
“It’s hard to believe that the administration knows what’s going on in Gaza and can’t conclude that Israel violated the U.S. terms of use of arms,” Gaspard said.
In a statement, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused the Biden administration of “trying to have it both ways.”
“While NSM-20 is aimed squarely at Israel in the short term, the additional, highly politicized reporting obligations will ultimately be directed to other US allies and partners around the world, and the security “It would further impede the provision of security assistance and undermine the United States’ ability to deter China and Russia,” Risch said.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who is behind the lawmakers’ request for written assurances, also told reporters the report was “contradictory.” Van Hollen acknowledged there was evidence that Israel had broken the law, but “the government ignored all the hard questions” about whether action was needed.
“If this act complies with international standards, then God help us all, because that would set the bar very low for what is allowed,” he added. . “What they’re trying to do is make it clear that they recognize how bad the situation is, but they don’t want to take any action to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for what’s going on. I think that’s what you should do.”
Contributor: Riley Begin
