A former senior U.S. official who until recently helped oversee human-rights compliance by foreign militaries receiving American military assistance said Wednesday that he repeatedly observed Israel receiving “special treatment” from U.S. officials when it came to scrutiny of allegations of Israeli military abuses of Palestinian civilians.

The allegation comes as the Biden administration faces intense pressure over its ally’s treatment of Palestinian civilians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. And matters because of who said it: Charles O. Blaha. Before leaving the post in August, he was a director of a State Department security and human rights office closely involved in helping ensure that foreign militaries receiving American military aid follow U.S. and international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Blaha said his departure from the State Department after decades of service was not related to the U.S.-Israeli security relationship. He is the second senior State official involved in that relationship to assert that when it comes to Israel, the U.S. is reluctant to enforce laws required of foreign militaries receiving American aid.

  • psvrh
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    2 months ago

    Considering that the US at least notionally holds servicemembers to account eventually, I’d say that Israeli military gets more special treatment.

    I don’t think people realize what Israel’s actions are doing: they’re putting a collective target on the Jewish diaspora, if not the west as a whole. Stop following rules and you shouldn’t be surprised when it’s done to you in return.

    • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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      2 months ago

      Israel has long been a liability to the united States and Jews worldwide. It’s time to pull the plug on the Zionist expriment