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US aiding and abetting Israeli genocide

Sulaiman Umar
07 Oct, 2024
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TEHRAN- The United States has remained Israel’s main supporter over the past decades despite the crimes that the regime has committed in the Palestinian territories.

Since Israel launched war on Gaza on October 7 last year, Washington has also provided Tel Aviv with unwavering military and political support.

Besides the $3.8 billion of military aid that Israel receives from the US annually, the administration of President Joe Biden has provided the regime with additional weapons worth billions of dollars.

On multiple occasions, the White House also obstructed global initiatives intended to implement a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Biden administration’s unequivocal backing for Israel has made the US complicit in the regime’s atrocities in the Palestinian enclave.

A probe has provided additional insights into the United States' role in the crimes that Israel has perpetrated in Gaza.

The Reuters news agency has found in an investigation that senior US administration officials warned the White House of potential Israeli war crimes days after the start of the Gaza war.

Reuters said in its report on Friday that it reviewed three sets of email exchanges dated between October 11 and 14.

They had raised the alarm about a rising death toll in Gaza warning that it could affect Washington’s ties to the Arab world.

Silence on war crimes

The US State Department’s top public diplomacy official told senior officials in an email sent on October 11 that the US was “losing credibility among Arabic-speaking audiences” by not addressing the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

When Bill Russo sent the email, approximately 1,200 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza. Nearly a year into the onslaught, about 42,000 Palestinians, including some 17,000 children have lost their lives.

“The US’s lack of response on the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians is not only ineffective and counterproductive, but we are also being accused of being complicit to potential war crimes by remaining silent on Israel’s actions against civilians,” Russo wrote.

Violation of intl. law

The then deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East relayed an assessment by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to senior aides in the administration of Joe Biden in an October 13 email.

Dana Stroul’s email came after Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets over northern Gaza, warning one million out of the territory’s 2.3 million population to leave their homes.

At that time the ICRC in Geneva had said Israel's order was "not compatible with international humanitarian law" because it would cut off food, water and other basic needs in Gaza.

"ICRC is not ready to say this in public, but is raising private alarm that Israel is close to committing war crimes," Stroul said in her October 13 email.

Arms for Israel

The Reuters probe also said Israel’s senior defense adviser emailed his US State Department counterpart on October 14 to request that a rifle shipment be expedited.

Christopher Le Mon, deputy assistant secretary at the State Department’s Democracy, Labor and Human Rights (DRL) bureau, which reviews potential weapons sales, recommended denying arms to Israel, citing the “conduct” of the Israeli National Police units, including the Yamam border patrol unit.

Le Mon said in a letter that there were “numerous reports” of Yamam’s involvement in “gross violations of human rights”.

The Reuters report has shed light on the fact that the US was well aware of Israel’s genocidal intent in Gaza. But the White House did not hesitate to arm the regime.

The investigation also indicates that the Biden administration's charm offensive towards Palestinians has been designed to appease growing opposition to the US backing for Israel.

This report represents only a fraction of the broader situation. It is certain that the United States' involvement in supporting Israel's military actions in Gaza and beyond will become more apparent once the conflict concludes.

culled from Tehran Times