Democratic Senator Questions Biden Administration’s Assessment of Israel’s Compliance with International Law
Senator Chris Van Hollen raised concerns on Sunday about the Biden administration’s evaluation of whether Israel is adhering to international law, following a Reuters report that some senior US officials were skeptical of Israel’s assurances.
Van Hollen stated, “This reporting casts serious doubt on the integrity of the process in the Biden administration for reviewing whether the Netanyahu government is complying with international law in Gaza.”
The Reuters report revealed that certain State Department officials have advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find Israel’s assurances regarding the use of US-supplied weapons in line with international humanitarian law to be “credible or reliable.”
Blinken is required to inform Congress by May 8 on whether he deems Israel’s assurances credible. An internal State Department memo indicated that several bureaus within the agency questioned the credibility of Israel’s statements, citing military actions that raised concerns about potential violations of international humanitarian law.
Van Hollen criticized the dismissal of the recommendations from these bureaus as being done for “political convenience.”
The senator, along with other Democratic lawmakers, has urged President Joe Biden to impose conditions on military assistance to pressure Israel to reduce civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict. However, the administration has not taken such action yet.
The ongoing conflict, which has lasted seven months, began with an attack by Hamas militants that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel and the taking of 253 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation that has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million residents of Gaza, and caused widespread destruction in the densely populated enclave.