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Thursday, March 21, 2024
US official confirms receipt of Israeli assurance that its using US weapons in accordance with int’l law
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Israel has submitted written assurances as required by the US State Department stating its use of American-supplied weapons are not being used to violate humanitarian laws in Gaza, a US official tells Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The US has yet to publicly confirm having received this assurance from Israel despite reports that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed the relevant letter last week.
Israel had until a Sunday deadline to submit written assurances. The State Department will assess by early May whether Israel’s assurances are credible and report to the US Congress.”
The written assurance is a new condition that the US placed on all aid recipients, laid out in a memo signed by Biden on February 8. The directive does not single out Israel, but came at a time of increasing calls from progressive lawmakers for conditions on US aid to the Jewish state, amid concerns that Jerusalem was not doing enough to protect civilians in Gaza.
US security aid recipients were already required to use it in line with international law, though the request for written assurances was new.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that the US had not yet received the written assurance from Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.