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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some senior U.S. officials have informed Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not consider Israel’s assurances that it is using U.S.-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law “credible or trustworthy,” according to an internal report. State Department memo reviewed by Reuters.
Other authorities maintained support for Israel’s representation.
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According to a National Security Memorandum (NSM) issued by President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must inform Congress by May 8 whether he considers credible Israel’s assurances that the use of US weapons does not violate US law or international law.
By March 24, at least seven State Department offices had sent their input to an initial “options memorandum” to Blinken. Portions of the memo, which have not previously been released, have been classified.
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The submissions to the memo provide the most extensive picture to date of divisions within the State Department over whether Israel may be violating international humanitarian law in Gaza.
“Some in the department were in favor of accepting Israel’s assurances, some were in favor of rejecting them, and some were not taking a position,” said a US official.
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A joint presentation by four departments – Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Population, Refugees and Migration; Global Criminal Justice and International Organizations Affairs – raised “serious concerns about non-compliance” with international humanitarian law during Israel’s prosecution of the Gaza war.
The four agencies’ assessment said Israel’s assurances were “neither credible nor trustworthy.” He cited eight examples of Israeli military actions that, according to authorities, raise “serious questions” about possible violations of international humanitarian law.
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These included repeated attacks on protected locations and civilian infrastructure; “unjustifiably high levels of civilian damage for the benefit of military advantages”; taking little action to investigate violations or hold those responsible for significant civilian harm accountable, and “murdering aid workers and journalists at an unprecedented rate.”
The assessment by the four departments also cited 11 cases of Israeli military actions that officials said “arbitrarily restrict humanitarian aid,” including the rejection of entire trucks of aid due to a single “dual-use” item, “artificial” limitations on inspections , as well as repeated attacks on humanitarian sites that should not be targeted.
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