US Officials Warned Secretary Blinken that Israel Was Committing War Crimes in December 2023
US officials in the Joe Biden administration repeatedly warned that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza. The White House ignored the reports to avoid cutting military aid to Israel.
Five former US officials told Reuters that in December 2023, the State Department’s legal team brought reports to Secretary Antony Blinken showing Israel was breaching international law and committing war crimes in Gaza.
Later, the US obtained intelligence that Israeli military leaders had concluded there was evidence to support war crimes charges against Israel. Late in the Biden presidency, US officials were alarmed that Israel’s onslaught in Gaza “might breach international legal standards on acceptable collateral damage.”
However, the intelligence and assessments were ignored. If the White House had recognized that Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza, US law would mandate cutting military assistance to Tel Aviv.
