#NSM 20

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sanjana Karanth at HuffPost:

A coalition of press freedom, civil liberties and human rights organizations sent a letter to the White House on Tuesday to call on the Biden administration to make public an upcoming report on whether foreign countries — including Israel — are using U.S. military aid in ways that break international humanitarian laws. For months, members of Congress have been demanding assurances that Israel, which receives U.S. military aid, has complied with international and U.S. law — which prohibits violence against civilians and efforts to block aid — in its war in Gaza. In response, President Joe Biden in February issued a memo known as NSM-20, which requires federal U.S. agencies to submit a report to Congress on whether countries that get U.S. military aid are in fact obeying the law. The report’s initial deadline was May 8, though it is currently unclear if it will be ready to submit by Wednesday. The Biden administration has not said explicitly if it will make the report publicly available.

But the letter’s signatories — including Amnesty International USA, Defending Rights & Dissent, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the National Press Photographers Association, the Radio Television Digital News Association and Reporters Without Borders — said that the “process established in NSM-20 suggests” that the report to Congress should be unclassified. “The public and the press have an especially strong interest in understanding how the U.S. has assessed the assurances provided under NSM-20 by all countries that receive U.S. defense articles, and particularly those in areas of armed conflict,” read the letter. “Your administration has pledged to ‘bring transparency and truth back to the government,’” the letter continued. “We urge you to adhere to this commitment by releasing the … report to Congress under NSM-20 to the press and the public.”

The White House did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment, while the National Security Council referred the question to the State Department. The State Department did not immediately respond to HuffPost. The Biden administration is facing growing pressure both domestically and from the international community over its continued diplomatic and military support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has so far killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7. While Hamas agreed this week to a proposal that would include a cease-fire and the return of hostages, Israel rejected the plan. As Israel is poised to invade the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah — despite allies like the U.S. warning against it, due to the city’s large civilian population — lawmakers and humanitarians have are increasingly concerned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has committed war crimes.

A coalition of human rights groups, press freedom, and civil liberties urge the Biden Administration to make public a report whether foreign countries-- including Israel-- are using US military aid in ways that break international humanitarian laws.

[sayruq]

US State Department falsified report to claim Israel 'not blocking Gaza aid'

The state department falsified a report earlier this month to absolve Israel of responsibility for blocking humanitarian aid flows into Gaza, overruling the advice of its own experts, according to a former senior US official who resigned this week. Stacy Gilbert left her post as senior civil military adviser in the state department’s bureau of population, refugees and migration, on Tuesday. She had been one of the department’s subject matter experts who drafted the report mandated under national security memorandum 20 (NSM-20) and published on 10 May. The NSM-20 report found that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel had used US weapons in a way that was “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law, but that there was not enough concrete evidence to link specific US-supplied weapons to violations. Even more controversially, the report said the state department did not “currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance” in Gaza. It was a high-stakes judgment because under a clause in the Foreign Assistance Act, the US would be obliged to cut arms sales and security assistance to any country found to have blocked delivery of US aid. Gilbert, a 20-year veteran of the state department who has worked in several war zones, said that report’s conclusion went against the overwhelming view of state department experts who were consulted on the report. She said there was general agreement that while other factors impeded the flow of aid into Gaza at a time when famine has begun to take hold of its 2.3 million population – such as lack of security, caused by Hamas, Israeli military operations and the desperation of Palestinians to find food – it was clear that Israel was playing a role in limiting the amount of food and medical supplies crossing the border into Gaza. “There is consensus among the humanitarian community on that. It is absolutely the opinion of the humanitarian subject matter experts in the state department, and not just in my bureau – people who look at this from the intelligence community and from other bureaus. I would be very hard pressed to think of anyone who has said [Israeli obstruction] is not an issue,” Gilbert said. “That’s why I object to that report saying that Israel is not blocking humanitarian assistance. That is patently false.”

[probablyasocialecologist]

The state department falsified a report earlier this month to absolve Israel of responsibility for blocking humanitarian aid flows into Gaza, overruling the advice of its own experts, according to a former senior US official who resigned this week. Stacy Gilbert left her post as senior civil military adviser in the state department’s bureau of population, refugees and migration, on Tuesday. She had been one of the department’s subject matter experts who drafted the report mandated under national security memorandum 20 (NSM-20) and published on 10 May. The NSM-20 report found that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel had used US weapons in a way that was “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law, but that there was not enough concrete evidence to link specific US-supplied weapons to violations. Even more controversially, the report said the state department did not “currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance” in Gaza. It was a high-stakes judgment because under a clause in the Foreign Assistance Act, the US would be obliged to cut arms sales and security assistance to any country found to have blocked delivery of US aid. Gilbert, a 20-year veteran of the state department who has worked in several war zones, said that report’s conclusion went against the overwhelming view of state department experts who were consulted on the report.

31 May 2024

[time-being]

Another week, another bunch of Biden's lies

Genocide Joe now says he's worked out a great cease-fire for Israel. Israel, of course, says it's going to slaughter Gazans for 7 more months. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/top-israeli-official-says-fighting-in-gaza-likely-to-last-at-least-another-7-months/ar-BB1nhivp)

Read the lies here: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/05/31/politics/biden-middle-east-remarks

There isn't any more reason to believe this than the falsified NSM-20 report (https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/30/stacy-gilbert-us-state-department-israel-gaza-aid)

Or than Biden's supposed "red line" on Rafah (https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/05/israel-tests-red-lines-rafah-what-will-biden-tolerate)

Or the worthless pier, which wasted a month and then lasted for about a week, while delivering very little aid (and some military equipment).

And Biden continues to personally deny that Israel is commiting genocide, while he promotes racist lies about Arabs and ancient evils.

This is just a campaign speech. It doesn't mean anything.

This isn't good enough.

If you are in Biden and the Democrats' political coalition, then do what you want. I'm not gonna tell you how to vote or not to vote.

I will tell you to make a plan for when he treats your rights and your humanity the way he does Gazans. What will you do when he turns his back on queer rights and reproductive rights?

But I'm not in his coalition. My family aren't people to him. We are just pawns and collateral damage. An acceptable sacrifice.

[adropofhumanity]

The US State Department falsified a report to absolve Israel of blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, disregarding the judgment of its own internal experts, the Guardian reported on 31 May.

According to Stacy Gilbert, a former senior US official who resigned this week, the report initially made clear that Israel was blocking US-provided humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza, based on the consensus of State Department experts consulted to draft the report.

Gilbert was one of the department's subject matter experts who drafted the report mandated under National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) and published on 10 May.

However, higher-ranking State Department officials edited the draft of the report, changing the conclusion to suggest that Israel was not blocking aid.

Gilbert resigned earlier this week from her post as senior civil-military adviser in the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration in response to the change.

The final version of the NSM-20 report said the State Department did not "currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance" in Gaza.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"Rule of Reason" :: Dwight D. Eisenhower

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 10, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 11, 2024

On October 31, 2020, former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon—who had left Trump’s administration in 2017—explained to a group of people that, knowing that votes for Biden would accumulate throughout the evening as mail-in ballots were counted, Trump planned simply to declare victory on election night, seizing the presidency and claiming that any results to the contrary were an attempt to steal the election from him. “[A]t 10 or 11 o’clock Trump’s gonna walk in the Oval, tweet out, ‘I’m the winner. Game over. Suck on that,’” Bannon was recorded as saying.

That prediction was pretty much what happened, but Trump did not succeed in seizing the presidency. Next came plans to overturn the election results, and Bannon was also involved in those. Then, famously, on January 5, 2021, he predicted on his podcast that the next day, “all hell is going to break loose.”

Not surprisingly, the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol wanted to talk to Bannon. It subpoenaed him in September 2021 for testimony and documents. When he refused to comply, a jury found him guilty of contempt of Congress in October 2022. A judge sentenced him to four months in jail but allowed him to stay out of jail while he appealed. 

Today a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld his conviction. He will not be jailed immediately; he can still appeal to a higher court. 

Another White House advisor, Peter Navarro, appealed all the way to the Supreme Court to overturn his own conviction for contempt of Congress after he, too, refused to answer a House subpoena for testimony and documents. The Supreme Court denied his appeal, and Navarro reported to prison on March 19, 2024. He has asked a federal judge to let him serve the remainder of his sentence on supervised release, so far without luck. 

Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Joyce White Vance wrote: “Bannon is effectively out of appeals. He can delay a little bit longer, asking for the full court to review the decision en banc & asking SCOTUS to hear his case on cert, but neither one of those things will happen. Bannon is going to prison.”

Lack of information was at the heart of Bannon and Navarro’s cases; it was also at the heart of the State Department’s report to Congress about whether Israel’s strikes on Gaza have complied with international and U.S. law. National Security Memorandum (NSM)-20, which Biden signed on February 8, 2024, was designed to make sure that there are adequate safeguards and accountability when countries who have access to U.S. weapons use them. The memo required the secretary of state “to obtain certain credible and reliable written assurances from foreign governments receiving defense articles” and transmit that information to Congress. 

Issued today, the report covered seven countries in “active conflict”—Colombia, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, and Ukraine—and explored whether they were using U.S. government-funded defense articles in accordance with international humanitarian law, and whether they were not “arbitrarily” denying, restricting, or otherwise impeding U.S.-backed humanitarian assistance in any areas where the country was using those U.S. defense articles.

The report noted that it’s hard to collect accurate information in a war zone. Often, the information has to come from participants or third parties, and sometimes that information comes only from the country the U.S. is supplying with weapons. It also noted that the human-rights-based Leahy Laws prohibit the U.S. from supplying weapons to a foreign military unit if the departments of state or defense have credible information that the unit has committed a gross violation of human rights, including torture, rape, extrajudicial killing, or enforced disappearance.

The report concluded that Colombia appears to be in compliance. Iraqi security forces have been credibly alleged to be violating international law, but the U.S. does not supply those units. Those it does supply have received U.S. training on compliance with international humanitarian law, and Iraqi leadership is working closely with the U.S. to professionalize. It has not restricted humanitarian aid. 

Kenya has repeatedly violated international human rights law, but it is working to come into compliance and has not misused U.S. weapons. Nigerian forces routinely use excessive force and torture. They are expanding the legal advice in the professionalizing army, and there are no credible reports of U.S. matériel used in ways that are inconsistent with international law. 

Somalia has violated humanitarian law and human rights law, arbitrarily killing and torturing people and committing sexual violence. The U.S. supplies the counterterrorism Danab Brigade of the Somali National Army and works closely with it. The State Department assesses that the brigade has not used U.S. weapons in any violations of humanitarian or human rights law. 

That leaves Israel and Ukraine.

The report begins by noting that in the October 7 attack on Israel, Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 individuals, wounded more than 5,400, and took 253 hostages, including U.S. citizens. Hamas, it notes, “does not follow any portion of and consistently violates” international humanitarian law. 

Then it takes on the numbers of Palestinians killed and injured, saying that the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, “which international organizations generally deem credible,” estimates that 34,700 Palestinians have been killed. Another 78,200 have been wounded, “a significant percentage of whom are reported to be women and children.” The Gaza Ministry of Health does not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians, but Israel says that about half the 34,700 killed were Hamas fighters. The State Department says that “we do not have the ability to verify this estimate.” It also notes that “[t]he conflict has displaced the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza and resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis.” 

The State Department notes that the U.S. government has emphasized Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law and that Israel has “institutions and processes charged with upholding” those laws. Israel has been conducting assessments, including criminal investigations, into alleged violations of international humanitarian law. 

The next paragraph, though, says that when asked, Israel shared some information that gave insight into Israel’s procedures and rules, but that information was incomplete. Among other things, “Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether U.S. defense articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of [international humanitarian law or international human rights law] in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report.” However, the authors concluded, because “certain Israeli-operated systems are entirely U.S.-origin (e.g., crewed attack aircraft),” they “are likely to have been involved in incidents that raise concerns about Israel’s [international humanitarian law] compliance.”

The report goes on to say that while it is difficult to determine whether specific U.S. weapons have been used improperly, “there have been sufficient reported incidents to raise serious concerns…. Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, with Hamas seeking to hide behind civilian populations and infrastructure and expose them to Israeli military action, as well as the lack of [U.S. government] personnel on the ground in Gaza, it is difficult to assess or reach conclusive findings on individual incidents. Nevertheless, given Israel’s significant reliance on U.S.-made defense articles, it is reasonable to assess that defense articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.”

The State Department says it is “not aware” of U.S. weaponry being misused. It also said that it “has had deep concerns…about action and inaction by Israel” that hampered humanitarian aid efforts and that, while that aid still is insufficient, “we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance.” 

The report also assessed that Ukraine had occasionally violated international humanitarian law and international human rights law, torturing those suspected of collaborating with Russia, for example. The Ukraine government has committed to adhere to the rule of law. It has apparently not used U.S. weapons in those violations and has facilitated U.S. humanitarian assistance.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[usafphantom2]

Kongsberg will supply JSM missiles to the U.S. Air Force through a multimillion-dollar agreement

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/03/2024 - 13:00 in Armaments, Military

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Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, a major Norwegian defense contractor, secured a multimillion-dollar contract to supply the U.S. Air Force (USAF) with its state-of-the-art Joint Strike Missiles (JSM). The U.S. Department of Defense announced the agreement on May 31.

The contract, valued at 141 million dollars (approximately 130 million euros), reflects the growing demand for advanced missile systems in modern warfare. Although the exact number of JSM missiles ordered has not been disclosed, the entire batch is expected to be delivered by the end of August 2026.

"The selection of JSMs by the USAF and the Royal Norwegian Air Force also fully supports NATO's vision of equipment interchangeability between allied nations," said Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace.

According to a USAF hiring notice of 2023, the acquisition plans include 48 JSMs for the current fiscal year, 50 in the fiscal year 2025 and 54 in the fiscal year 2026.

Developed by Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, the Joint Strike Missile is a proof of cutting-edge defense technology. It is based on the success of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), incorporating proven and modern technology to meet the rigorous demands of maritime and land operations.

The JSM is equipped with an advanced mission planning system designed to explore the geographical advantages of the maritime and terrestrial environments. Its highly accurate navigation system and low-altitude flight profile ensure accuracy in aiming, while an advanced infrared image search engine supports automatic target recognition, increasing its effectiveness in various combat scenarios.

Tags: weaponsMilitary AviationF-35 Lightning IIJSM - Joint Strike MissileKongsbergUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[thoughtlessarse]

Alexander Smith’s PowerPoint presentation doesn’t appear designed to court controversy. The slides, focused on declining maternal health in Gaza, cite public health data from the United Nations and World Health Organization. His employer, the U.S. Agency for International Development, had selected him to share it at the government agency’s Global Gender Equality Conference. But just before the conference, an issue of contention emerged. A single slide mentioned international humanitarian law in context of the health crisis in Gaza. USAID staff cited the slide and discussion of international law as potential fodder for leaks, documents and emails Smith shared with The Intercept show. Despite Smith’s willingness to make revisions, his presentation was eventually cancelled. On the last day of the conference, he found himself out of a job. “I thought it is really obscene that misinformation can go out freely out into the world [about Gaza], but I can’t talk about the reality of starving pregnant women,” said Smith, who worked as a contracted senior adviser at USAID on gender and material health. “We can’t even whisper about that in a conference on that topic.” In a statement to The Intercept, the agency declined to comment on personnel matters but said Smith was not forced out over the presentation. “As an Agency, we value and intentionally seek out a diversity of viewpoints,” said a USAID spokesperson. Smith, who is both a lawyer and public health expert, had worked for USAID for four years. In February, he submitted an abstract for his presentation — titled “An Intersectional Gender Lens in Gaza: Ethnicity, Religion, Geography, Legal Status, and Maternal/Child Health Outcomes” — which was accepted for the small USAID conference. He was scheduled to present on May 22 in Washington, D.C. On May 10, two weeks before the conference, the State Department issued a report — dubbed the “NSM-20” report — about Israel’s compliance with international law. As The Intercept reported, USAID officials had urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to find Israel’s commitments to international law were not credible based on its conduct in Gaza since October. Blinken’s report hedged considerably, expressing “deep concerns” about “action and inaction” by the Israeli government that resulted in “insufficient” aid delivery to Gaza, while concluding Israel was not “prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance.” At the conference, Smith wanted to touch on international humanitarian law. His slides on the topic did not mention Israel specifically, the presentation shows. “I wasn’t planning to stand up and yell ‘Israel is committing genocide,’” Smith said. “I was stating the laws.”

continue reading

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Israel used a US weapon in a March airstrike which killed seven healthcare workers in southern Lebanon, according to a Guardian analysis of shrapnel found at the site of the attack, which was described by Human Rights Watch as a violation of international law.

Seven volunteer paramedics, aged between 18 and 25, were killed in the 27 March attack on an ambulance center belonging to the Lebanese Succor Association in the town of al-Habariyeh in south Lebanon on 27 March.

The Guardian examined the remnants of a 500lb Israeli MPR bomb and a US-manufactured Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) recovered by first responders from the scene of the attack. Pictures of the shrapnel sent by The Guardian were further verified by Human Rights Watch and an independent arms expert.

JDAMs are guidance kits produced by US aerospace company Boeing which attach to 500-2,000lb “dumb bombs” and convert them into GPS-guided precision missiles. They have been key to Israel’s war effort in Gaza and Lebanon, and have been one of the most requested munitions from the US.

Shrapnel recovered from the al-Habariyeh attack included a fragment with writing identifying it as a “bomb MPR 500”, as well as the parts of a JDAM which clip the bomb to the guidance system and remnants of its motor.

Human Rights Watch said that its own investigation concluded that the strike on the healthcare center was unlawful and should have implications for US military assistance to Israel.

“Israel’s assurances that it is using US weapons lawfully are not credible. As Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Lebanon continues to violate international law, the Biden administration should immediately suspend arms sales to Israel,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Five days after the attack on healthcare workers in Lebanon, Israel killed another seven aid workers employed by the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. This attack led to global outrage and was called a “serious mistake” by Israel.

The revelation of Israel’s use of US weaponry in an unlawful attack comes as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, is set to deliver a report to Congress on 8 May on whether he finds credible Israel’s assurances that its use of US weapons do not violate US or international Law.

The Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said that the attack on al-Habariyeh should be reflected in Blinken’s report to Congress.

“These reports are deeply concerning and must be fully investigated by the Biden administration, and their findings should certainly be included in the NSM-20 report that is due to be submitted to the Congress on May 8,” Van Hollen said in an email.

Public pressure is mounting to limit or stop US weapons transfers to Israel as more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military operation in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack which killed 1,200 Israelis.

In Lebanon, the attack on al-Habariyah shook the country, with hundreds showing up to pay homage at the funeral of the young medical workers: twin brothers Hussein and Ahmad al-Shaar, 18; Abdulrahman al-Shaar, 19; Mohammad Hamoud, 21; Mohammad al-Farouk Aatwi, 23; Abdullah Aatwi, 24; and Baraa Abu Kaiss, 24.

The ambulance center had been set up in the small village in south Lebanon at the end of October, as cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel began to intensify.

The airstrike came without warning between 12:30 and 1am as the volunteers were on call for the night shift. No fighting had been reported in the area that day.

The 500lb bomb leveled the two-story building, with the force of the blast hurling four of the volunteers from the center and trapping three others under the rubble.

An Israeli military spokesperson said that the airstrike in al-Habariyeh killed a “prominent terrorist belonging to Jamaa Islamiya”. Jamaa Islamiya is a Lebanese Islamist political group which also has an armed wing that has fought alongside Hezbollah against Israel since 7 October.

A representative of Jamaa Islamiya said that while some of the paramedics belonged to the group, none of them were members of its armed wing.

The Guardian asked the Israel Defense Forces which of the paramedics they killed were militants and what steps the IDF took to minimise civilian harms in the strike, but received no reply.

Three first responders, as well as witnesses present during the rescue operation, said that only seven bodies were recovered from the rubble: those of the medical volunteers.

“We examined every centimeter looking for parts of bodies and their possessions. We saw nothing military-related. We knew [the victims] personally, so we could identify their remains,” Samer Hardan, the head of the local Lebanese civil defense center who participated in the rescue operation, said.

The volunteers, most of them young university students, joined the ambulance corps after the war started – out of what their parents said was a sense of duty to their community.

“I told them that it was dangerous to do this type of work, but they said that they accepted the risk. I don’t know what Israel was thinking – these were young people excited to help others,” said Kassem al-Shaar, whose twin sons Ahmad and Hussein were killed in the airstrike.

Under the 1997 Leahy law, the US defense and state departments are prohibited from providing assistance to foreign security forces when there is “credible information” that they have committed gross violations of human rights.

The Guardian reported in January that internal state department policies have spared Israel from application of that law.

A spokesperson for the US National Security Council said it was aware of reports of the attack on al-Habariyeh and that it was in touch with its Israeli counterparts to get more information.

“The US is constantly working to ensure defense articles provided by the US are being used consistent with applicable domestic and international law. If findings show violations, we take action,” the spokesperson said.

According to Josh Paul, a non-resident fellow with Democracy for the Arab World Now, a democracy and human rights non-profit, and former state department official involved in the weapons transfer process, arms transfers containing munitions like JDAMs are approved with little scrutiny.

“The state department has approved several of these transfers on a 48-hour turnaround. There is no policy concern on any munitions to Israel other than white phosphorus and cluster bombs,” Paul said.

Israel has relied heavily on US transfers of large dumb bombs, particularly the 500-2,000lb MK series, and accompanying JDAMs to fight Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to Paul, JDAMs have been some of the “key items” Israel has requested from the US in the past six months.

Human rights groups have raised concerns about Israel’s use of these dumb bombs – and the potential complicity of the US in any misuse of the weapons by retrofitting them with guidance kits.

In December, Amnesty International called on the US to stop arms transfer to Israel after it found remnants of JDAMs in two attacks in Gaza which killed more than 43 people.

Since 7 October, Israel has killed 16 medical workers in Lebanon, including 10 in a single day at the end of March. Medical personnel are protected under international law and targeting them is considered a war crime.

In the same period, 380 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 72 civilians. On the Israeli side, 11 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed.

“My sons wanted to do humanitarian work, and look what happened to them. Israel wouldn’t dare to do what they did if it wasn’t for the US standing behind them,” al-Shaar said.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Julian Borger at The Guardian:

The US says it is “reasonable to assess” that the weapons it has provided to Israel have been used in ways that are “inconsistent” with international human rights law, but that there is not enough concrete evidence to link specific US-supplied weapons to violations or warrant cutting the supply of arms. In a highly anticipated report to Congress, the state department said that the assurances given by Israel and a handful of other countries under scrutiny that they had been using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law (IHL) were “credible and reliable”. In Israel’s case, the report expresses deep misgivings about Israeli compliance but says the US does not have sufficient evidence about individual cases to recommend that US arms supplies be suspended. Democratic critics of Israel, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, accused the administration of “ducking” the tough decisions that would be involved in making a formal determination of Israeli non-compliance.

The report is mandated by a national security memorandum (NSM-20) signed by Joe Biden in February to assess whether recipients of US arms are complying with human rights law. The state department report found that: “Given Israel’s significant reliance on US-made defence articles, it is reasonable to assess that defence articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.” A senior administration official said that while that assessment reflected a general view of Israel’s conduct in its war in Gaza, the state department has yet to find definitively that a US weapon was used in a specific incident, in which the intent or the level of negligence constituted a war crime.

[...] He warned there would be further restrictions on the supply of arms, including bombs and artillery shells, if Israel pressed ahead with its offensive on Rafah. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has vowed to proceed with the attack, however. While Biden was threatening to hold back individual shipments of weapons, a negative assessment by the state department in Friday night’s report on Israeli assurances on its compliance with IHL, could have to led to the suspension of the supply of offensive weapons altogether, “until the required assurances are obtained”.

The State Department has issued a report stating that Israel’s use of weapons in Gaza contravenes human rights laws, but not enough concrete evidence to link US-issue weapons to warrant a cutoff from the flow of arms.

[tieflingkisser]

No, the U.S. is not ‘putting pressure’ on Israel to end its war

A letter from the Biden administration to Israel this week threatening to possibly withhold weapons raised hopes among some, but the delivery of a missile defense system and deployment of U.S. soldiers sent the real message.

Blinken and Austin wrote a letter that, as usual, poses little threat of consequences. They do take a baby step forward, stating that Israel’s failure to comply with the terms of the letter “may have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 (this is the National Security Memorandum that Biden issued in March requiring reporting on recipients of military aid’s compliance with U.S. and international humanitarian law) and relevant U.S. law.” By saying it “may have implications,” there is a clear inference: failure to comply may not have any effect at all on the tidal wave of weapons for Israel. Given the history of not only American, but specifically Biden’s relationship with Israel, it is far more likely that there will be no consequences.

[...]

When it comes to wartime propaganda a credulous media always helps. The Associated Press, reporting on the letter from the Secretaries, headlined their article, “US warns Israel to boost humanitarian aid into Gaza or risk losing weapons funding.” But, of course, the U.S. did no such thing.

[...]

The really meaningful message to Israel did not come this week from Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin. It came on a ship, the one that carried the THAAD missile defense system. And it came accompanied by some one hundred American soldiers. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is a highly sophisticated system that has proven highly effective at shooting down short—and medium-range missiles as they descend toward their targets. The U.S. previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for a training exercise, but this is the first time one has been stationed in Israel with so many American troops to operate it as part of a defense system. The deployment of the THAAD will give Israel an added layer of impunity in its efforts to provoke a regional war with Iran. The presence of U.S. troops enhances the chances that Israel can draw Washington into such a conflict.

[...]

Kamala Harris made it clear that she is playing the game right along with her boss. “This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza. And it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to freedom, security, dignity and self-determination. It is time for the day-after to begin without Hamas in power,” Harris stated. Other Biden officials echoed similar sentiments, ignoring the very same reality that Biden has ignored for a year: that Netanyahu and the bulk of Israel’s government has no interest in ending the war on Gaza. Even the leader of the opposition, the so-called “moderate” Gantz makes it clear that there is no prospect for this.

[thoughtportal]

Govt. Agencies Found Israel Blocked Gaza Aid. Blinken Told Congress Otherwise

A report by ProPublica found that Israel blocked life-saving food and medicine from reaching Palestinians in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks before boarding a plane, Oct. 11, 2023, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, en route to Israel. Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

A 17-page memo from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) detailed instances of Israel deliberately interfering with humanitarian aid efforts including the killing of aid workers, bombing hospitals, and denying trucks carrying food and medicine from entering Gaza, where the United Nations has declared a “full-blown famine” in the northern region.

In April, USAID sent their findings to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department’s refugees bureau determination was made known to top diplomats. U.S. law requires that the government suspend weapons shipments to any country blocking U.S.-backed humanitarian assistance. Despite the memo and list of evidence cited, Blinken rejected the assessment, ProPublica reported on Tuesday.

Following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, President Biden and his administration have continually emphasized its commitment to a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza. Since the Israeli cabinet declared war against Hamas, however, the U.S. has delivered more than 50,000 tons of missiles, artillery, and other military equipment, Israel’s Defense Ministry stated last month.

ProPublica wrote that both Blinken and the Biden administration did not accept the findings from the U.S. government’s top two authorities on humanitarian aid. In Blinken’s statement to Congress on May 10, he said, “We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance.”

According to a copy obtained by ProPublica of a cable between U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, and Blinken, the ambassador expressed that Israel’s war cabinet, comprising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, should be trusted to handle humanitarian shipments to Palestinians in Gaza. Despite assessing that “Israel will not arbitrarily deny, restrict, or otherwise impede U.S. provided or supported” shipments of food and medicine, Lew wrote that “other parts of the Israeli government have tried to impede the movement of [humanitarian assistance.]”

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A former senior civil military adviser in the refugees bureau, who worked on different versions of Blinken’s statement to Congress, resigned over the final version’s conclusion. “There is abundant evidence showing Israel is responsible for blocking aid,” Stacy Gilbert said in a statement shortly after her departure. “To deny this is absurd and shameful.”

On the day Blinken sent his report to Congress, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, (D-MD), denounced the administration for choosing “to disregard the requirements” of the National Security Memorandum, or NSM-20. “Whether or not Israel is at this moment complying with international standards with respect to facilitating humanitarian assistance to desperate, starving citizens may be debatable,” he wrote in a statement. “What is undeniable — for those who don’t look the other way — is that it has repeatedly violated those standards over the last 7 months.”

Among the evidence listed in the memo was a report that lifesaving food had been stockpiled less than 30 miles across the border in an Israeli port — enough flour to feed 1.5 Palestinians for five months. In February, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a directive to block deliveries of flour to the main U.N. agency for Palestinians and cited allegations that some of its employees were affiliated with Hamas.

At least 930 trucks of food, medicine, and other aid were held in Egypt awaiting approval from Israel as of March, USAID’s memo detailed. The memo to Blinken also cited numerous incidents in which aid facilities and workers were hit by airstrikes even after some had shared their locations and received approval from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Israel’s government has insisted that most of those violent incidents were unintentional.

On April 1, seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers were killed by an Israeli strike while delivering aid to Gaza. The workers were traveling in two armored cars branded with the charity’s logo in a de-conflicted zone, WCK said in a statement following the deadly tragedy. The seven killed were from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and Palestine. “Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” the statement read.

WCK CEO Erin Gore wrote, “This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war.” {read}

[agentfascinateur]

US State Department falsified report on Israeli atrocities

Gilbert was one of the experts consulted in drawing up the NSM-20 report, but she said it was taken out of their hands as it approached completion. “Sometime at the end of April, the subject matter experts were taken off the report and we were told it would be edited at a higher level.

This warrants a call for Blinken's resignation.

[plethoraworldatlas]

With just over a week until the deadline for the Biden administration to certify that Israel's use of U.S.-supplied weapons is adhering to domestic and international law, Amnesty International USA submitted a report to the federal government detailing how American bombs and other weapons have been used in Israeli attacks that could constitute war crimes.

The White House, said the human rights group, must inform Congress that Israel is violating humanitarian laws by May 8 as part of the National Security Memorandum on Safeguards and Accountability with Respect to Transferred Defense Articles and Defense Services (NSM-20) process, and "must immediately suspend the transfer of arms to the Israeli government."

Amnesty's report focuses on several attacks on civilian infrastructure in which Israel used bombs and other weapons made by U.S. companies including Boeing, as well as practices used by the Israeli government and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since they began bombarding Gaza in October in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack.

Four of the IDF attacks took place in Rafah, where Israel is reportedly preparing a ground offensive after forcibly displacing more than 1 million Palestinians to the southern city and carrying out airstrikes for months.

The four strikes in December and January killed at least 95 civilians, including 42 children, despite the U.S. and Israel's repeated claims that the IDF is targeting Hamas fighters

"In all four attacks," reported Amnesty, "there was no indication that the residential buildings hit could be considered legitimate military objectives or that people in the buildings were military targets, raising concerns that these strikes were direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects and must therefore be investigated as war crimes."

The strikes, which included one on a five-story building inhabited by the Nofal family, were carried out with GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs—made in the U.S. by Boeing.

"The evidence is clear and overwhelming: the government of Israel is using U.S.-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, and in a manner that is inconsistent with U.S. law and policy," said Amanda Klasing, national director for government relations with Amnesty International USA. "In order to follow U.S. laws and policies, the United States must immediately suspend any transfer of arms to the government of Israel."

Boeing was also the manufacturer of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) that were used in October 2023 in "two deadly, unlawful airstrikes on homes full of Palestinian civilians," according to satellite imagery examined by Amnesty's weapons experts and remote sensing analysts.

Those attacks killed 43 civilians, nearly half of whom were children.

Other patterns in Israel's assault on Gaza, including its use of a 24-hour mass evacuation notice early on in its current escalation, ordering more than 1.1 million people in Gaza City and northern Gaza to go to the southern part of the enclave; its use of indiscriminate attacks with both U.S.- and Israel-made weapons; its use of arbitrary "administrative detention"; and its denial of humanitarian assistance, all show that the Biden administration's continued material support for the IDF violates U.S. and international law, Amnesty said.

As progressives in the U.S. Congress have warned, Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2378-1) bars the federal government from providing military aid to any country that is blocking U.S. humanitarian aid.

[flaskoflethe]

I hate when I listen to a set and 80% of it is not really my taste, but the other 20% should be purified and shot into me directly. It's nice to find good new music, but I just wish it didn't result in me finding the one ch*nsm*k*rs song I like t_t

Anyway merry Newton's birthday (I know, not actually) to those who celebrate!