The #Biden admin has concluded it is “reasonable to assess” that #Israel’s military campaign in #Gaza has violated #InternationalLaw, but has not found specific instances that would justify the withholding of #military aid, #State Dept told #Congress Fri.
In the admin’s most detailed assessment of #Israel’s conduct in #Gaza, #State said in a written report to #Congress that Israel “has the knowledge, experience & tools to implement best practices for mitigating #civilian harm in its #military operations.”
But it added that “the results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties, raise substantial questions” as to whether the #IDF are using them sufficiently.
The report said that conclusion was based in part on the difficulty of collecting reliable information from the #war zone & the way #Hamas operates in densely populated areas. It also stressed that #Israel has begun the process of seeking accountability for possible violations of the #law, a key component in the #UnitedStates assessment about whether to provide #military aid to allies accused of #HumanRights violations.
One clear sign of how ignorant and immature the college protesters are is how they all don't seem to want to be held accountable for the crimes they committed.
I wish that our U.S. campuses would at least still assign students to read MLK's Letter from a Birmingham jail, and Thoreau's essay on Civil Disobedience.
I think these protesters have failed the guidelines of: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and effective direct action.
“#Civilians have been killed in #Gaza as a consequence of those bombs & other ways in which they go after population centers,” #Biden said in an interview airing Wed evening on CNN, referring to 2k-pound #bombs supplied by the #US “I made it clear that if they go into #Rafah — they haven’t gone in…yet — if they go…, I’m not supplying the #weapons that have been used historically to deal …with the cities….”
The #Biden admin paused the shipment of thousands of weapons to #Israel, including controversial 2k-pound bombs, amid mounting concern about the country’s plan to expand a military operation in southern #Gaza that could dramatically increase the conflict’s death toll, U.S. ofcls said Tues.
But in recent days, it became clear to the #Biden admin that “Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision point on such an operation,” forcing Washington to initiate its review of proposed transfers.
Despite the pause, the #IDF has enough #weapons supplied by the #US & other partners to conduct the #Rafah op if it chooses to cast aside US objections, the 1st ofcl said.
When asked about the delays earlier Tues, #StateDepartment spox Matthew Miller declined to offer a rationale but said that US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against #Hamas remains intact.
[nonanswer answer]
In Washington, #US military support for #Israel receives overwhelming support from #Republicans & #Democrats in #Congress…
…powerful pro-Israel interest groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Cmte… is spending tens of millions …this #election cycle to unseat #Democrats it views as insufficiently pro- #Israel.
#Republicans assailed news of a delay in #weapons approvals as a “reprehensible” betrayal. “The #UnitedStates must stand with Israel. Period,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC).
Israel carried out airstrikes in eastern Rafah after issuing orders for the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from part of the city earlier on Monday, triggering an exodus of thousands of people. The Israeli military said late on Monday it was conducting targeted strikes against Hamas in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinian...
>IDF Warns More Than 100,000 People in #Rafah to Evacuate
#Israel wants to “move people out of harm’s way,” a military official said, a sign that it may be inching closer to invading the Gazan city in defiance of international pressure
New News: A new lawsuit alleges that people in the US with longstanding ties to Hamas have formed shell groups that are supporting US campus protests.
The lawsuit is filled with explosive allegations and seeks compensatory damages.
DEFENDANTS: The two groups named in the lawsuit -- American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) -- are being sued by 9 American and Israeli victims. The lawsuit alleges that AMP and NSJP are effectively the same entity -- and, unbeknownst to many US student activists, are acting as a propaganda arm to Hamas.
It was filed by a legit law firm.
They claim to have written, admissible-in-court evidence of one of the groups acknowledging they have to be careful not to be seen supporting terrorism.
Through this lawsuit we could learn more about sources of funding tied to student protests.
Israeli air attacks kill at least 10 Palestinians in Rafah as Hamas fires rockets at the Karem Abu Salem crossing, killing three Israeli soldiers and wounding 11 others. The latest round of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza has ended in the Egyptian capital Cairo, but crucial gaps remain between Israel and Hamas....
TikTok CEO #ShouZiChew has said the company will take the fight against the new law to the courts, but some experts believe that for the #US#SupremeCourt, national security considerations could outweigh #FreeSpeech protection.
The #US is by far the largest arms supplier to its closest #MiddleEast ally, followed by #Germany – whose strong support for #Israel reflects in part atonement for the Nazi #Holocaust – and #Italy.
Explainer: Israeli assault on Gaza city of Rafah: what we know so far (www.theguardian.com)
Israel carried out airstrikes in eastern Rafah after issuing orders for the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from part of the city earlier on Monday, triggering an exodus of thousands of people. The Israeli military said late on Monday it was conducting targeted strikes against Hamas in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinian...
Israeli forces pound Rafah as Gaza ceasefire talks appear to stall (www.aljazeera.com)
Israeli air attacks kill at least 10 Palestinians in Rafah as Hamas fires rockets at the Karem Abu Salem crossing, killing three Israeli soldiers and wounding 11 others. The latest round of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza has ended in the Egyptian capital Cairo, but crucial gaps remain between Israel and Hamas....