The Biden administration has been flooded with nearly 500 reports of US weapons being used by Israel to kill civilians unnecessarily, but no action has been taken, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
By refusing to act, the State Department is in violation of its policy that was started in August 2023 as a response to concerns over US weapons being used by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to kill civilians in Yemen. The policy, known as the Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG) process, directs US officials to investigate incidents and recommend action within two months.
According to the Post report, not a single of the nearly 500 reports have reached the “action” stage. US officials have said the CHIRG process has become functionally irrelevant because senior officials in the State Department are dismissive of any non-Israeli source.
Mike Casey, a former State Department official who resigned in July, said senior State Department officials often dismissed the credibility of Palestinian sources, eyewitness accounts, nongovernmental organizations, the Palestinian Authority, and the United Nations.
Sources told the Post that at least one-quarter of the cases had been dismissed in the first of three investigative stages because they were deemed not credible or officials thought US weapons weren’t used. The rest of the cases have reached the “verification stage,” but that has only involved asking Israel about the cases, giving the Israeli government the chance to make excuses for its own crimes.
“We ask the [government of Israel] about the cases: Did you forewarn? Why did you hit this school or safe road or safe zone?” a former official said.
More than two-thirds of the cases remain unresolved as they are pending a response from the Israeli government. State Department spokesman Matt Miller had made clear throughout the past year that the US has been deferring to Israel when asked about atrocities being committed with US weapons.
On Tuesday, Israeli strikes on a residential building in northern Gaza’ Beit Lahia killed at least 109 Palestinians, including more than two dozen children. In response, Miller claimed the US was “deeply concerned” about the “horrifying incident” but only said the US would ask Israel about the attack and didn’t call for an investigation or suggest any US action would be taken. “We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask what happened here,” he said.
The US is in violation of multiple foreign assistance laws by continuing to supply weapons to Israel as it intentionally blocks food aid to a starving Palestinian population and slaughters women and children on a daily basis. A group of American healthcare workers who volunteered in Gaza have estimated the US-backed Israeli bombing campaign and siege has killed at least 118,908 Palestinians, including over 60,000 who have starved to death.
The US has spent at least $22.76 billion on supporting the genocidal campaign in one year, including $17.9 billion on direct military aid and $4.8 billion on military operations to support Israel in the region.
