Calls in Congress to Hold Israel Accountable for 'Gaza Violations'

A number of US Democratic Senators have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Note: The current Secretary of State is Antony Blinken; Rubio is a prominent Republican Senator, suggesting a possible error in the original report) to expedite the investigation into "hundreds of potential human rights violations" allegedly committed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip, as concluded by a confidential government oversight report.

1. The Letter's Content and Legal Concerns

• Leadership: The letter, sent to the State Department on Tuesday and highlighted by the Washington Post, was led by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jack Reed.

• The Warning: The lawmakers warned that the "delay in reviewing incidents of killing, torture, and abuse in Gaza undermines US laws that prohibit providing security assistance to foreign military units proven to be involved in gross violations."

• Leahy Laws: The warning specifically refers to the "Leahy Laws," which ban support for units implicated in severe human rights abuses.

• Enforcement: The letter stated: "Without effective enforcement mechanisms, these laws and policies become meaningless."

2. Confidential Report and Backlog of Cases

• Oversight Body: A confidential report prepared by the State Department's Inspector General's Office indicated that the "backlog of cases involving Israeli military units could take years to fully review."

• Demand for Action: The report urged the Secretary of State (named as Rubio in the text) to "swiftly implement the Inspector General's recommendations and resolve these cases in a timely manner to ensure compliance with US law."

• Pending Cases: Unresolved cases include:

  • The killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in April 2024.

  • The killing of over 100 Palestinians and injury of 760 others near aid trucks in February 2024.

3. Criticism and Lack of "Political Will"

• Official Status: The US State Department has not yet declared any Israeli unit ineligible for US aid under the "Leahy Laws."

• Lack of Will: Former US official Charles Blaha, who oversaw the implementation of the Leahy Laws, stated that the problem is "not a lack of resources, but a lack of US political will to confront Israel."

• US-Israel Relations: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently affirmed that the relationship with Washington is based on "shared values and goals," acknowledging: "We may disagree at times, but we agree on the general goals."