Jake Sullivan Says Israel Should Follow ‘Rules of War’ But Won’t Judge If They Are

Sullivan says he won't play 'judge or jury on that question'

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Israel should follow the “rules of war” in Gaza but would not say if he believed the Israeli military is doing so.

Sullivan made the comments on CNN’s “State of the Union” when he was asked if Israel needed to do more to limit civilian casualties.

He said Israel has a responsibility to “operate according to the rules of war, and we have continued to make that point both publicly and privately, and we will continue to do so as we go forward.”

But when asked if Israel is following the rules of war, Sullivan replied, “I’m not going to sit here and play judge or jury on that question.”

Sullivan and other Biden administration officials have paid lip service to the idea of pressuring Israel to limit civilian casualties, but the US is still providing unconditional military aid and other types of support for Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, which has killed at least over 11,000 Palestinians, including over 4,500 children.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that “far too many” Palestinians have been killed in the war but did not signal any changes to the US policy of full-throated support for the Israeli operation.

According to a recent report from The Washington Post, the US is not conditioning military aid or using other leverage it has over Israel because it “would be so politically unpopular in any administration and partly because, aides say, Biden himself has a personal attachment to Israel.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.