This limited hangout report can’t even whitewash Israel’s many abuses

This is the report that was delayed, bits of it started to leak out yesterday… First up- It’s a summary of the report- It is not the total report

The report covers a number of nations that have received American weapons That said, even the summary is damning, in my opinion, of Israel’s use of American weapons- making the US complicit in war crimes. For what should be a straight up factual report there is quite a bit of perception management. I’m skipping over all that.

Jurist news

A US Department of State report summary released Friday claimed that Israel may have used US-provided weaponry in an “inconsistent” manner with international humanitarian law (IHL) obligations but could not conclude whether US weaponry was used in specific incidents.

Israel ensures a limited hangout narrative by not providing all information needed to make sound conclusions. Read below;

Israel has, upon request, shared some information on specific incidents implicating IHL, some details of its targeting choices, and some battle damage assessments. Although we have gained insight into Israel’s procedures and rules, we do not have complete information on how these processes are implemented.

Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether U.S. defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL or IHRL in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report.

Limited information has been shared to date in
response to USG inquiries regarding incidents under review to determine whether U.S. munitions were used in incidents involving civilian harm. However, certain Israeli-operated systems are entirely U.S.-origin (e.g., crewed attack aircraft) and are likely to have been involved in incidents that raise concerns about Israel’s IHL compliance

We can already see the problems with this report, but we can also understand that even in the very limited information provided by Israel there are incidents that raise concerns about Israel’s IHL compliance.

In any conflict involving foreign partners, it is often difficult to make swift, definitive assessments or determinations on whether specific U.S. defense articles or services have been used in a manner not consistent with international law. The nature of the conflict in Gaza and the compressed review period in this initial report amplify those challenges

However, there have been sufficient reported incidents to raise serious concerns. As described more fully below, the State Department has received reporting from multiple credible UN and non-governmental sources on alleged human rights violations by Israeli forces during the reporting period. The State Department’s 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices document credible reports of alleged human rights abuses by Israeli security forces, including arbitrary or unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture, and serious abuses in conflict. Credible UN, NGO, and media sources have reported that since October 7, Israeli security forces have arrested large numbers of Palestinians suspected of being Hamas militants and transported them from Gaza to Israel, where some were allegedly abused during their detentions. NGOs have disputed claims that all of these detainees are Hamas militants. There are also allegations of Israeli security forces using excessive force against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the course of counterterrorism operations. The UN reported that 2023 was the deadliest year on record in the West Bank prior to October 7, and there was a significant intensification of killings and other incidents of violence in the West Bank in the following months.

2023 was the deadliest year on record in the West Bank prior to October 7/23 and then the killings intensified. That means Israel was killing more people than ever in the West Bank

Nevertheless, given Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made
defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.

Humanitarian workers

One specific area of concern is the impact of Israel’s military operations on humanitarian actors. Despite regular engagement from humanitarian actors and repeated USG interventions with Israeli officials on deconfliction/coordination procedures, the IDF has struck humanitarian workers and facilities. While Israel repeatedly committed to improve deconfliction and implemented some additional
measures, those changes did not fully prevent subsequent strikes involving humanitarian workers and facilities during the reporting period.

You can read the entire summary in pdf format here