State Department Divided over Israeli Compliance with International Law for US Weapons Amid War Crimes Accusations

The State Department is divided over whether Israel complies with international law regarding the use of American-provided weapons ahead of a deadline for Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s determination to Congress next week, according to an official from the department. There isn’t unanimity about accepting Israel’s assurances as “credible and reliable” under President Joe Biden’s national security memorandum issued in February that requires all countries receiving US weapons to make such statements. Four State Department bureaus expressed concerns over non-compliance with international humanitarian law during the conflict between Hamas and Israel, Reuters reported on Sunday. Human rights groups have accused Israel of committing war crimes and abuses throughout its campaign against Gaza militants. In April 2021, Biden signed a $26 billion aid package for Israel that includes funding to replenish defense items provided during the conflict with Hamas as well as advanced weapons systems through the Foreign Military Financing Program. Since October last year when Hamas launched its attack on Israeli civilians killing over 1,200 people in Israel and injuring thousands more, the US has made over a hundred foreign military sales to Israel worth more than $34 billion. The White House could slow down military provisions or curtail monetary assistance if it concludes that Israel is impeding aid delivery into Gaza and not adhering to human rights laws. However, President Biden’s unconditional support for Israel has been at times conditional with him threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call following the Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen workers this month who died while distributing food to Palestinian families displaced by conflict. Last week’s State Department report raised concerns about war crimes committed during the Hamas-Israel conflict, referring also to “reports of systemic torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment” against Palestinians detained after October 7 as well as forced disappearances from Gaza. While Austin said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that he was not aware of any evidence supporting genocide allegations made by Israel’s critics during the conflict in Gaza, Blinken previously called such accusations “meritless.”