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Washington, D.C. — On March 25, 2024, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller announced that he had received “credible” assurances that Israel was complying with international humanitarian law and that the administration has not found Israel in violation of the law. Following the announcement, Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
The State Department’s shocking assertion that the Netanyahu government is complying with international law in Gaza is a gross disregard of overwhelming evidence and a dangerous precedent in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy.
The stakes here are so high that the administration must be transparent and accountable in sharing with the American people all evidence that has led to this determination and the continued sale of offensive weapons to Israel.
‘We are imposing a complete siege. No electricity, no food, no water, no fuel—everything is closed.’ This was the stated goal of Israeli Defense Minister Gallant at the start of the assault on Gaza, and every aspect of this edict has been on open display to the world. It’s a falsehood with catastrophic implications to assert otherwise. The documentation of respected aid organizations, human rights groups, the media, international partners, and State Department bureaus all points to the reality of clear violations of this law and of our values.
The United States, by its own imposed standards, cannot heedlessly deliver offensive weapons as the Israeli government continues to bombard and starve innocents on a mass scale. These actions have nothing to do with self defense; they are clearly intended as collective punishment and are resulting in the complete devastation of Palestinians as a people.
There is no time to spare in pulling back from this outrageous assertion by the State Department: An Israeli incursion into Rafah promises to bring only more death and devastation to civilians—and will make the administration complicit in one of the worst tramplings of human rights in this century.
