A former senior U.S. official who recently oversaw human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance has raised concerns about Israel receiving 'special treatment' from U.S. officials regarding allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians. This allegation comes amidst heightened scrutiny of Israel's actions during its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The former official, Charles O. Blaha, emphasized that his departure from the State Department was unrelated to U.S.-Israeli security relations. He highlighted that Israel appears to receive preferential treatment compared to other countries when it comes to enforcing laws required of foreign militaries receiving American aid.
Blaha's remarks were made during an event where a panel of former U.S. civilian and military officials released a report citing civilian deaths in specific airstrikes in Gaza. The report concluded that there was 'compelling and credible' evidence of illegal actions by Israeli forces.
These concerns were echoed by another former State Department official, Josh Paul, who resigned in protest of the U.S. rushing arms to Israel during the conflict. The State Department, however, denied any double standard or special treatment in its dealings with Israel.
Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. military aid, has consistently maintained that it adheres to all laws in its use of American military assistance and investigates allegations against its security forces.
The Biden administration recently signed legislation for an additional $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel, amid mounting pressure to address Palestinian civilian casualties. The administration is expected to announce its findings from reviews into alleged human rights abuses by specific Israeli military units, with potential consequences for U.S. military aid.
The administration is also set to disclose whether Israel's use of U.S. military aid complies with international and human rights law, as mandated by a presidential national security memo issued in February. This memo followed negotiations between the Biden administration and Democratic Party members advocating for conditioning military aid to Israel on improved treatment of Palestinian civilians.
The panel's report highlighted 17 specific strikes in Gaza, including attacks on apartments, refugee camps, private homes, journalists, and aid workers, where former U.S. officials and independent experts found no evidence of legitimate military targets justifying the high civilian death tolls.
One such incident was an airstrike on a Gaza apartment building that resulted in the deaths of 106 civilians, including 54 children. Israeli officials provided no justification for the strike, and a Human Rights Watch investigation found no military target at the site.
