A former senior U.S. official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance says he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from U.S. officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of military abuses of Pale

A former senior U.S. official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance said Wednesday that he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from U.S. officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians.

The allegation comes as the Biden administration faces intense pressure over its ally’s treatment of Palestinian civilians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. And matters because of who said it: Charles O. Blaha. Before leaving the post in August, he was a director of a State Department security and human rights office closely involved in helping ensure that foreign militaries receiving American military aid follow U.S. and international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Blaha said his departure from the State Department after decades of service was not related to the U.S.-Israeli security relationship. He is the second senior State official involved in that relationship to assert that when it comes to Israel, the U.S. is reluctant to enforce laws required of foreign militaries receiving American aid.

  • PugJesus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    More. Much more. The US has to worry about both domestic and international opinion when deciding whether to risk a cover-up or the PR damage of an admission of wrongdoing.

    Israel, seemingly, needn’t worry about the former in regards to war crimes, and doesn’t have to worry about the latter as long as the US is running defence for them.