Dozens of former US officials urge Biden to take harder line with Israel

Nearly 70 former US officials, diplomats and military officers are urging President Joe Biden to warn Israel of serious consequences if it denies civil rights and basic necessities to Palestinians and expands settlement activity in the West Bank.

“The United States must be willing to take concrete action to oppose” such practices, the group says in an open letter to Biden, “including restrictions on the provision of (US) assistance (to Israel) consistent with US law and policy.”

Among the signatories are more than a dozen former ambassadors, as well as other retired State Department officials and former Pentagon, intelligence and White House officials, including Anthony Lake, a national security adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

In its letter, the group says that an Israeli military operation against Hamas was “necessary and justified.”

But Israel’s operations “have been marked by repeated violations” of international law banning indiscriminate killing and the use of weapons that do not permit discrimination between combatants and civilians, the group says.

“Tens of thousands of Gazan civilians have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children,” the group says. “Civilian killings of this nature and magnitude cannot be justified.”

Israel denies that its operations breach international law.

The group says that it strongly backs Biden’s call for an immediate truce of at least six weeks, the establishment of a reliable humanitarian aid delivery system, and the release of hostages.

The signatories also call on the Israeli military to implement rules of engagement consistent with international law.