An American memorandum confirms Israel’s violation of international law in Gaza

US State Department officials issued a memorandum in which they confirmed that Israel violated its obligations and international law by using American weapons against civilians in the Gaza Strip.

It is noteworthy that, according to the national security memorandum issued by President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must submit his report to Congress by next May 8 on whether he finds reliable guarantees from Israel that its use of American weapons in the Gaza Strip does not violate American legislation or international law. .

Also, by March 24, at least 7 offices in the State Department had sent their contributions to the initial “options memorandum” to Blinken. Parts of the memo, which had not been reported earlier, have been classified as confidential.

The reports presented in the memo reveal the most comprehensive picture yet of divisions within the State Department over whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza.

An American official said: “Some components in the ministry preferred to accept the Israeli guarantees, others preferred to reject them, and others did not take any position.”

It is worth noting that a joint report was issued by 4 offices in the US State Department: Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Population, refugees and migration. Global Criminal Justice and International Affairs raised “serious concerns about non-compliance with international humanitarian law during Israel’s handling of the Gaza war .”

The assessment conducted by the four offices stated that Israeli assurances “are not credible and cannot be relied upon.” It cited eight examples of Israeli military actions that officials said raised "serious questions" about potential violations of international humanitarian law.