The U.S. reports increased human rights violations in the Gaza Strip

The US State Department has released its annual report, which notes the deterioration of the human rights situation due to the war in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, the administration of the US president has not yet introduced sanctions against Israel for the discovered facts of violations.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to The Washington Post.

The report mentions a series of human rights violations committed in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in 2023 by parties such as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas militants, and the Palestinian Authority, before and after the Hamas attacks on October 7, which plunged the Middle East into escalating instability and violence.

The report notes that the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip has had a "significant negative impact" on the state of human rights in Israel. The document also cites credible reports of “unlawful killings” by both Hamas and the Israeli government.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed nearly 1,200 people, and the subsequent civilian deaths during Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip, "also raised deep human rights concerns."

At the same time, Blinken did not announce the decision to suspend US aid to certain units of the Israeli army due to alleged human rights violations. Israeli officials have voiced cautionary protests against such a move in recent days.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant warned the administration against sanctions against the Netzah Yehudah battalion, which he said plays a vital role in Israel's fight against Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In 2022, the IDF disciplined several officers over the death of an elderly Palestinian-American in the unit's custody.

Blinken said that the United States will continue to assess the state of human rights compliance in other countries and, if necessary, will introduce sanctions against countries that lag behind on this issue, regardless of their status - an enemy or a partner of the United States. Washington has long been Israel's main political and military ally.

The potential imposition of such restrictions would increase friction between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at a time of heightened tension over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli prime minister's failure to provide enough food and medicine to trapped civilians.

There are human rights violations but no sanctions? How's that? Does Israel have any special rights? The right to violate international laws with impunity?

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 23/04/2024