Israel-US channel to discuss harm to civilians by IDF to hold first meeting in December

The channel established by Israel and the U.S. to discuss specific incidents of civilian harm by the IDF will have its first meeting in December, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller announced on Tuesday. 

“We have scheduled a meeting between senior officials here at the department and senior officials in the Israeli Government in early December,” Miller said in a press briefing Tuesday. “It will be the first meeting of that new channel.” 

It is not clear how this channel is different from a previous channel established at the end of last year to discuss similar concerns. 

This meeting will miss the deadline established in the letter sent by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by more than a month. 

“The purpose of this channel is to inform the ongoing work that the State Department has to do to make assessments about the use of U.S.-provided weapons,” Miller told reporters at the. briefing. “That’s what we want to do, as well as to gather our own information about what Israel is doing.” 

Miller said the information gathered via the channel will inform U.S. policy decisions about potential violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza War. 

“It’s to gather information about incidents that have been raised that are a cause of concern or a cause of question,” Miller said regarding the channel.

When asked if the Biden administration hopes to take any specific action on findings from the channel before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, Miller responded that “the assessments that the State Department is required to make are legal requirements, and they’re not legal requirements that are attached to any one administration.” 

In October, the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration had received “nearly 500 reports alleging that Israel used U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that caused unnecessary harm to civilians.” 

Blinken stated that the U.S. could reasonably assess that American weapons may have been used by Israel in ways inconsistent with U.S. law. However, he also affirmed that Israel's assurances of compliance were “credible and reliable.”

Blinken submitted a report to Congress, stating the U.S. could reasonably assess that American weapons may have been used by Israel in ways that are inconsistent with U.S. law. However, he also affirmed that Israel’s assurances that it was not in violation were “credible and reliable.” 

Israel has faced many accusations regarding improper use of weapons leading to unnecessary civilian casualties since the start of the war. 

The reports have come from U.S. government bodies, international aid organizations, nonprofit organizations, NGOs, media reports, and sometimes from claimed eyewitnesses. 

In the October letter, sent by the two cabinet secretaries, the Biden administration warned that the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel could be limited if action to improve the humanitarian situation was not taken within 30 days. 

The Biden administration recently said it will not withhold weapons shipments to Israel after seeing “a number of steps” taken by Israel to address U.S. concerns. 

In the briefing, Miller also acknowledged the “prevalence of looting of humanitarian aid by gangs in Gaza”, saying it represents “a breakdown in the security situation inside of Gaza.” 

Miller said the U.S. is trying to work “with the IDF, with COGAT, with the relevant UN agencies, to find solutions to get more security assistance delivered to the people that need it.”