The US admits that Israel could have violated international law with US weapons

The United States confirmed on Friday that Israel has used American weapons in Gaza in a manner that is ‘contrary’ to international humanitarian lawbut has not found enough information to justify stopping the sending of military aid to Israel.

This is according to a State Department report, delivered to Congress this Friday after its publication was delayed for several days, and which is the most detailed assessment to date of Israel’s behavior in Gaza since start of the war in October.

The document does not conclude that Israel has violated international law rules that Washington sets for the sale of weapons for any nation.

However, the State Department confirms that it is “reasonable to assess” that American weapons have been used by the Israeli army. “in some cases” in a manner that is “contrary” to its obligations under international law or to “established best practices” to reduce harm to civilians.

The report emphasizes that Israel has “the knowledge, experience and tools” to prevent civilian deaths; But he emphasizes that the results on the ground, including the high number of casualties, raise “substantial questions” about whether the Israeli military is using US weapons “effectively in all cases.”

Despite these indications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded that does not have “enough information” to establish that Israel has violated international humanitarian law and justify this conclusion by the ‘nature’ of the conflict in Gaza, which makes it difficult to assess individual incidents or reach definitive conclusions.

The report also highlighted that Israel has initiated several processes to seek responsibility for possible violations of international law, something that is critical in the United States’ assessment of whether the country will continue to provide military assistance to Israel.

The report also did not find enough evidence to conclude that Israel deliberately blocked humanitarian access to Gaza, where food is scarce and more than 34,000 people have died at the hands of the Israeli army.

This report, known as NSM-20was drafted at the request of President Joe Biden in February, requiring all countries receiving US military aid involved in conflict to provide written “guarantees” that they will comply with international law and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid from the De government of the United States.

The United States is the leading arms supplier to Israel and one of its strongest allies in the world. Between 2016 and 2023 69% of weapons imported by Israel According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it came from the North American country.