State Dept. defends ability to hold Israel accountable for proper weapons use

State Dept. defends ability to hold Israel accountable for proper weapons use after announcement of $20bn equipment sale.

The Biden administration's confidence in Israel's assurances in adhering to international law was called into question on Wednesday following the Pentagon's announcement of its sale to Israel of more than $20 billion worth of fighter jets, tank cartridges and army vehicles. 

The US has a longstanding security partnership with the government of Israel spanning decades, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Wednesday, but that does not change the tools and mechanisms the US has at its disposal to ensure American defense articles are not being used improperly. 

Patel referenced the Leahy vetting forum, a process which made headlines late last week after the State Department announced the completion of its criminal investigation into the Netzah Yehuda battalion regarding its involvement in the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man in the West Bank. 

The State Department determined the alleged human rights violations by Netzah Yehuda were "effectively remediated" meaning the battalion can continue receiving US security assistance. 

"We have been consistently clear that Israel has every moral and strategic imperative to minimize the impacts on civilians," Patel said. "And when we have seen actions or incidents that we deem to be inconsistent with that, not only do we raise our concerns with the partner country as appropriate, but we factor it into which way we may implement certain policy responses as a deterrence for these kinds of incidents to reoccur in the future."

US urges Israel to prevent human rights abuses

Patel said the US can implement other tools like visa restrictions and designations. 

"We urge Israel to thoroughly and transparently investigate reports of gross violations of human rights and take all appropriate action," he said. 

Patel called on Israel to investigate Haaretz's reporting of IDF soldiers using Palestinians as human shields to comb tunnels and buildings in Gaza. 

"These reports are incredibly disturbing, and we urge Israel to immediately and transparently look into these allegations and hold any perpetrators accountable," Patel said.