American A report presented by the State Department in Congress said that Gaza I Israel The use of US weapons by the US is inconsistent with international law.
According to the AFP news agency, the criticism comes at a time when Israeli forces have stepped up operations around the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israeli aggression More than 1 million people displaced as a result have taken shelter.
According to the Reuters news agency, this is the harshest criticism of the United States on Israel so far.
America, Israel’s biggest ally, said that it is important to analyze whether Israel has used US weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law.
However, the Biden administration said that ‘due to the chaos of the war in Gaza, it might not confirm specific incidents where the use of these weapons might be categorized as alleged violations.’
The criticism came in a 46-page unclassified State Department report required under the new National Security Memorandum (NSM) to be submitted to Congress.
Experts say the criticism threatens to further sour US relations with Israel at a time when differences between the allies are growing over Israel’s plan to attack Rafah. The United States has repeatedly warned Tel Aviv once morest this move.
According to reports, the Biden administration has already halted arms shipments to Israel in a major policy shift.
There are several contradictions in the State Department’s report, for example, that it has several credible reports of civilian casualties that Israel has agreed with Washington to promote humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Did not cooperate.
However, it has also said that it cannot definitively assess whether any international law has been violated.
The report said: ‘Given Israel’s significant reliance on US-made weapons, it is reasonable to assume that the defense equipment provided under the NSM-20 has been used by Israeli security forces since October 7, in accordance with its international law. (IHL) obligations or best practices established to minimize harm to civilians.’
The report added that “Israel has not shared complete information to confirm whether the US weapons delivered under NSM-20 were specifically carried out in Gaza or the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.” Used in operations.
“Those who have been accused of violating international or human rights law (IHRL) during the reporting period.”
However, the administration said it still receives credible assurances from Israel that it is using US weapons in accordance with international law.
After the report, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said the Biden administration “turned a blind eye to all the hard questions and avoided looking closely at whether Israel’s behavior should mean a cut in military aid.”
“This report is full of contradictions because it concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe violations of international law, but at the same time it is said that they have not been committed,” he told reporters. No evidence of compliance found.’
‘Excessive’ civilian damage
More than 34,000 have been killed in seven months of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip Palestinians Most of the dead are women and children.
Demands for an investigation into Israel’s military conduct have increased with the increasing death toll and destruction in the Gaza Strip. However, US officials in the State Department are divided on this issue.
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Reuters reported in April that officials from at least four bureaus within the department have expressed serious concern over Israel’s conduct in Gaza and cited specific examples where Israel is violating the law.
The human rights group Amnesty International said in April that the use of US weapons supplied to Israel constitutes a serious violation of international and human rights law, with examples of civilian deaths and injuries caused by the use of lethal force. are present.’
“The US government has reviewed a number of reports that raise questions regarding Israel’s compliance with its legal obligations and best practices to minimize harm to civilians,” the report said.
‘They include attacks on basic civilian infrastructure, densely populated areas and other actions that raise the question of whether the ‘reported expected civilian casualties were excessive in relation to military objectives.’
According to a report released on Friday, Israel has not fully cooperated with US and other international efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza since October 7.
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2024-07-20 14:30:55
