Document:US says Israel may have breached international law with American weapons in Gaza
| "If that sounds like extreme linguistic, legal and moral gymnastics in defence of continuing US complicity in genocide, it's because that is exactly what it is." |
commentary by Jonathan Cook dated 11 May 2024Subjects: Israeli invasion of Gaza, Israel, US State Department, Biden administration, IDF, international humanitarian law, genocide, war crimes
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US says Israel may have breached international law with American weapons in Gaza
"If you can get past the US State Department's 'end-of-term school report' euphemisms, it now admits – after seven months of genocide – that Israel is probably using US weapons to commit war crimes in Gaza. That means the US is therefore breaking its own laws in continuing to supply those weapons to Israel.
"Or as the report states, it is 'reasonable to assess' that US-supplied weapons have been used 'in instances inconsistent with its IHL (international humanitarian law) obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm'.
"Despite that, it's apparently okay for the Biden administration to assist Israel in committing war crimes because:
- Israel is confronting an 'extraordinary military challenge' in Gaza.
- Assurances provided by Israel about adhering to the legal use of US weapons were 'credible and reliable'.
- It was often 'difficult to determine facts on the ground in an active war zone' of what are legitimate targets.
- 'Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices for mitigating civilian harm in its military operations', though 'results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties, raise substantial questions as to whether the IDF is using them effectively in all cases'.
"If that sounds like extreme linguistic, legal and moral gymnastics in defence of continuing US complicity in genocide, it's because that is exactly what it is."
