Long-Awaited State Dept Review 'Absolves' Israel Of War Crimes

Via The Cradle

A US State Department study on Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip will be subject to legislature on Friday and stop short of containing Tel Aviv has ‘violated terms for the usage of US weapons,’ according to US officials who spoke with Axios.

The report, based on a months-long trial that is estimated who or not Israel has violated global law or stifled Gaza aid efforts, has tried "contentious interior debate in the State Department."

Image: Associated Press

President Joe Biden agreed in February to issue a national safety memorandum to examine the usage of US weaponry by Israel in Gaza. The study set out to explain the usage of weapons by Israel and six another states, according to Axios.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has been pressured by the US ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, and the outgoing US humanitarian envoy to Gaza, David Satterfield, to conclude that Israel is not hiding aid benefits, despite recommendations to so by USAID and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

The 2 told Blinken in a memo that while Israel restored aid in the past, it has since changed its policy after force from Biden. "Blinken’s study is going to list a series of residents that took place during the war in Gaza and note that they raised seriously deals about violations of global law by Israel," 3 US officials told Axios.

They added that the study will be “very critical” and state that the State Department is inactive investing circumstantial residents; however, “at the same time, Blinken will halt short of concluding that Israel has violated global law in the context of the national safety memorandum.”

‘Blinken’s study besides adopted the conclusions of Lew and Satterfield and certificates that Israel isn’t presently violating the national safety memorandum erstwhile it comes to making the transportation of US-supported humanitarian aid,” another authoritative confirmed.

Some Republican lawmakers have criticalized the national safety memorandum and the upcoming report. Last week, 88 Democratic lawmakers gate to Biden saying there is simply a "sufficious evidence" of Israel regulation of aid into Gaza.

Politico reported earlier this week that the release of the State Department study was delayed by respective days at the last minute. Friday’s study comes a day after Biden warned that his government would not support or supply weapons for an expanded Israel assault on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah.

Back in November, there was a scathing 5-page 'dissent memo' circulated in the State Dept:

"The memo — signed by 100 State Department and USAID employees — urges elder U.S. officials to reassess their policy toward Israel and request a casefire in Gaza" | Scoop: interior State Dept. memo blasts Biden, U.S. policy on Israel-Hamas war https://t.co/V5MbZrWsP

— David Doel (@daviddoel) November 13, 2023

Israel seized control of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday morning and has been consistently bombing the east of the city, killing dozens of civilians, including children.

A US arms shipment to Israel has already been delayed over deals about Rafah. Had the study corrupted the overwhelming evidence of Israel war crimes and hampering humanitarian aid efforts, US military aid for Tel Aviv was at hazard of driving up. As a result, supporters of Israel in Washington have pressured the State Department against specified a conclusion.