Early concerns over US complicity, Israeli war crimes in Gaza unveiled
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A special report by Reuters analyzes three different emails sent within the first week of the genocide in Gaza, warning of the dire implications of blind US support.
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President Joe Biden speaks to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, after returning from spending the day in Florida and Georgia to survey damage from Hurricane Helene. (AP)
When "Israel" launched its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, which has now resulted in over 40,000 thousand deaths and 100,000 injuries, amid the mass displacement of over a million Palestinians, a Pentagon official warned of the dire consequences, which could constitute war crimes and international law violations, in an email addressing the Biden administration.
Dana Stroul, the then-deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the mass displacement of Palestinians would result in a humanitarian catastrophe and could amount to an international law violation, in an October 13 email to Biden's aides. Reportedly, Stroul had been reviewing an assessment by the International Committee of the Red Cross which "chilled her to the bone" before warning the US administration.
Reuters obtained three never-revealed-before emails, all written during the first week of the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip. The tone and concern were both consistent in all three - the rising death toll in Gaza could violate international law and sever or jeopardize US relations with several countries in the Middle East - while also urging President Joe Biden to shift his speech toward more sympathy with Palestinians and necessitating the provision of more humanitarian aid into the Strip.
The war, although it does not fall short of catastrophic and continues expanding toward Lebanon amid the recent Israeli terror attacks and the assassination of Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the aggression on Yemen and Syria, was supposed to be even worse had it not been for the emails, which allegedly played a major different in House.
According to Reuters, private talks between the White House and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yielded certain results, such as a delay in the ground invasion of Gaza in order to allow aid organizations to regroup and prepare for what was yet to come, as well as focus on ceasefire negotiations.
However, three Pentagon officials said the US response to the suffering of Palestinians remained slow, and while the ground invasion was delayed for ten days, it was attributed to the Israeli occupation forces' operational preparations rather than US efforts.
The emails, consequently, showed the chaos and the urgency of avoiding and addressing the impending crisis in Gaza, as the US continued to veto and reject ceasefire resolutions.
Early accusations of US complicity
On October 11, 2023, an email addressed the growing concerns regarding the potential dissolution of ties with several countries in the Arab world, warning that the US was losing influence and popularity among their populations.
US State Department’s top public diplomacy official Bill Russo warned of reports published in the Arab world of American complicity in the genocide, exacerbated by the administration's continued negligence and refusal to address the rapidly unfolding humanitarian crisis and rising death toll at the time.
"The US’s lack of response on the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians is not only ineffective and counterproductive, but we are also being accused of being complicit to potential war crimes by remaining silent on Israel’s actions against civilians," he said.
Russo urged State Department leaders to reconsider the US's unqualified support for "Israel’s" military actions in Gaza, warning that it could harm the country's long-term standing in the region. He later resigned in March, citing personal reasons.
His email was forwarded by Barbara Leaf, the top Middle East diplomat, to White House officials, expressing concern about relationships with Arab partners. When White House adviser Brett McGurk was asked whether the US would support a ceasefire in Gaza, his response was simply, "No" but said he would "100 pct" commit to humanitarian aid and civilian protection.
Warnings of war crimes neglected
On October 13, only two days after Russo's warnings, Israeli occupation aircraft dropped leaflets over northern Gaza, instructing one million residents to evacuate within 24 hours as Israeli troops launched a ground assault.
The evacuation order alarmed aid agencies and the UN, as Israeli airstrikes had already devastated large areas. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the order, stating it violated international humanitarian law by threatening access to basic necessities in Gaza.
The ICRC Middle East director Fabrizio Carboni also contacted Dana Stroul, who later relayed that the international organization was warning that "Israel" was close to committing international war crimes and expressed concerns over the very limited time over a million Palestinians had to evacuate.
The White House, however, continued to publicly defend "Israel" and not second-guess its decisions and orders, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirming that US military aid will continue flowing to the IOF.
Privately, US officials shared Stroul's concerns, given that the intense bombardment of Gaza would make it near impossible for forcibly displaced Palestinians to get somewhere safe, especially with the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt to prevent mass displacement into the country and the continued killing of Palestinians by the IOF when they were forced to leave.
As a result, McGurk alleged that Washington could pressure "Israel" into extending the deadline. Several other officials urged that the government must act immediately to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.
On the same day, the administration's stance began to "shift", when Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly recognized the "suffering of Palestinian families in Gaza" for the first time since the war was ignited. On the day after, Biden said he was prioritizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and directing efforts toward relief and aid.
'Israel' demands, US supplies
As US officials evaluated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, "Israel" pressed for additional arms, including a request on October 14 for 20,000 automatic rifles for its National Police. Ori Katzav called the shipment "very urgent", but US official Christine Minarich noted it would take time for approval, requiring notification to Congress.
Despite objections from the State Department’s Democracy, Labor, and Human Rights (DRL) bureau over human rights concerns, many arms shipments, including grenade launchers and rifles, proceeded.
DRL had raised concerns about Israeli Police units like the elite Yamam unit, citing reports of human rights abuses. Nevertheless, Washington continued to send large amounts of munitions, such as precision-guided missiles and 2,000-pound bombs, despite warnings from rights groups about civilian casualties.
Amnesty International accused "Israel" of committing war crimes using US-supplied weapons, though the US denied complicity. A State Department report in May suggested possible Israeli violations of international law but stated that definitive conclusions were hindered by the chaos of war. "Israel's" embassy rejected claims of targeting civilians, affirming adherence to international law.
Almost one year into the genocide in Gaza, a joint analysis by Oxfam and Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) released on Tuesday shows a significant surge in civilian deaths in Gaza over the past year, exceeding those of any other war in the last 20 years.
The report reveals that Israeli aggression has resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 women and 11,000 children, marking a grim milestone in civilian casualties in war zones. The findings highlight the severe impact of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with civilian infrastructure hit by explosive weapons every three hours on average since the beginning of the war.
