The Biden administration has no plans to change its policy toward Israel after the ally’s forces killed seven humanitarian aid workers.

It’s the latest example of the United States criticizing Israel’s conduct of the war against Hamas while remaining reluctant to use its leverage to force a change. Biden has stood with Israel as it aims for the military defeat of Hamas, resisting calls from progressives and pro-Palestinian voices to condition military aid or impose other restrictions. Such moves would break, rather than bend, the relationship with Israel, the administration argues. And they would end any sway the U.S. has with Israel over protecting civilians.

That has caused fissures within the Biden administration. “It’s just rinse and repeat with the Israelis. The American political system can’t or won’t draw a real line with them and that is regrettable,” said a senior U.S. official.

  • @rayyy
    link
    118 months ago

    Wouldn’t it be helpful if the article actually went over the “Israel policy”?

    “the United States will not transfer weapons when it is “more likely than not” that those weapons will be used to commit, facilitate the commission of, or aggravate the risk of specified violations. Those violations include “grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, including attacks intentionally directed against civilian objects or civilians protected as such,” and “other serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.” The Biden administration received praise for strengthening the standard relative to the Obama and Trump policies”