Biden admin received intelligence on illegality of Israeli actions in Gaza, refused to reduce US support: Report

ISTANBUL

Former US President Joe Biden reviewed intelligence indicating that Israeli officials were aware their actions in the Gaza Strip might violate US and international law, yet he rejected recommendations from his advisers to reduce US involvement, HuffPost reported, citing former US officials.

The intelligence presented to Biden was the Israeli government’s own assessment of whether their conduct, including “large-scale attacks and severe humanitarian aid restrictions,” constituted illegal treatment of Palestinians, former officials told the outlet.

According to a former official, the material was considered so “serious and sensitive” that it prompted an urgent interagency meeting, which included Biden. The former president and his team reportedly discussed potential responses, specifically mentioning limiting intelligence-sharing with Israel to mitigate possible US liability.

Another former official said the material “showed how aware the government of Israel was about the illegality.”

Furthermore, Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken also reportedly raised the prospect that Israel was committing ethnic cleansing, a description that a separate senior State Department official said was being “regularly used by agency officials to describe Israeli actions.”

Career concerns influence policy

The intelligence provided US officials with evidence of “specific motivations” among Israeli officials, according to a former senior official.

While staff at the State Department and USAID attempted to argue that, with this information, the US “would knowingly be violating the law,” their managers would not commit to that conclusion.

A former senior official added that US officials were concerned that recommending limits on support for Israel would harm their “future career prospects.”

HuffPost stated that both Blinken and Biden declined to comment on the report, and neither the Israeli embassy nor the US State Department responded to requests for comment.

Israel has killed more than 69,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,600 others in a brutal assault in Gaza since October 2023.

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