Former senior U.S. official Charles O. Blaha alleged that Israel receives special treatment from U.S. officials when it comes to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses against Palestinian civilians. Blaha, who recently left his position at the State Department, claimed that Israel gets special treatment that no other country receives and that undue deference is given to Israeli officials when questioning allegations of wrongdoing. This comes amid increased pressure on the Biden administration over Israel’s treatment of Palestinians during the recent conflict with Hamas.
Blaha’s comments were supported by another former State Department official, Josh Paul, who resigned in protest of the U.S. rushing arms to Israel during the conflict in Gaza. The unofficial panel of former U.S. civilian and military officials released a report pointing to civilian deaths in specific airstrikes in Gaza, citing compelling and credible evidence of illegal actions by Israeli forces. The State Department denied any double standard or special treatment regarding Israel and insisted that the U.S. follows all laws in providing military aid to Israel.
Israel, historically the largest recipient of U.S. military aid, has faced criticism over its handling of the conflict with Hamas and the resulting civilian casualties. President Biden recently signed legislation for an additional $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel, but pressure is mounting for the U.S. to hold Israel accountable for human rights abuses. The Biden administration is expected to announce official findings from reviews into allegations of human rights abuses by specific Israeli military units and determine whether U.S. aid should be suspended if the allegations are confirmed.
The panel of former officials released a report urging the U.S. to scrutinize specific attacks in Gaza that led to a high civilian death toll. They highlighted 17 specific strikes on apartments, refugee camps, private homes, journalists, and aid workers where there was no evidence of a military target that justified the civilian casualties. One such attack on a Gaza apartment building killed 106 civilians, including 54 children, with no explanation provided by Israeli officials. The U.S. is under pressure to assess these incidents and potentially suspend military aid to Israel if violations of international or human rights laws are confirmed.
The Biden administration is expected to release its official findings from reviews of human rights abuses by Israeli military units and verify assurances from Israel that U.S. military aid is not being used in violation of international law. This follows a new presidential national security memo issued by Biden in February, which mandates conditioning military aid on Israel’s treatment of Palestinian civilians. The U.S. and Israel are working to address concerns raised by the panel of former officials and ensure compliance with human rights standards in the use of military aid. Israel’s assurances and ongoing investigations into alleged abuses will be crucial in determining the future of U.S. military assistance to Israel.
