The United States said Friday that Israel may have violated international law in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but stopped short of reaching a full conclusion on the issue.
Since October 7, Israel has been carrying out military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with the help of American military aid. The State Department released a report to Congress on Friday that found it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel may have used U.S. weapons in a matter “inconsistent” with international law, but did not make that determination. They say they haven’t yet found enough evidence to make a complete decision.copy obtained by Just Security (Related: ‘Very angry’: Biden’s biggest supporters appear to slam ‘bad’ foreign policy decisions)
“Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, including Hamas’s attempts to hide behind civilians and infrastructure and expose it to Israeli military action, and the lack of U.S. personnel on the ground, “It is difficult to reach conclusions regarding “individual case findings,” the State Department said in a report Friday. “Nevertheless, given Israel’s heavy dependence on defense articles made in the United States, defense articles covered by NSM-20 have been subject to compliance with its provisions by Israeli security forces since October 7. It is reasonable to assess that the terms are used when they are contradictory. [International Humanitarian Law] with established best practices to mandate or reduce harm to civilians. ”
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“In disputes involving foreign partners, it is often difficult to quickly and conclusively assess or determine whether certain U.S. defense articles or services are being used in a manner inconsistent with international law.” says the report. “However, enough incidents have been reported to cause serious concern.”
The report covers Israeli military operations that began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and sparking a massive counterattack.President Joe Biden ordered The report will be published as a national security memorandum in February.
The report criticizes the Israeli military, but notes that Israel assured the United States in March that American weapons are used in accordance with international law, and that these assurances are “credible and reliable.” He also points out that something has been found. The State Department said Israel has begun addressing the violations outlined in the report, and no determinations have been made that the country obstructed or disrupted the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Biden administration and the Israeli government are at odds over how to wage the war against Hamas in Gaza. The Biden administration has called on Israel to limit military operations and avoid a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost area of Gaza, because of the potential impact on civilians in the area.
The Biden administration last week delayed shipments of military equipment to Israel over concerns that Israel would use it for Operation Rafah. The report found no case to justify a broader suspension of military aid.
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