Gaza atrocities will ‘haunt’ Antony Blinken, says former US diplomat

Washington, DC – Israel’s devastating violative successful Gaza — and the United States’ enactment for it — volition “haunt” outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the remainder of his life, says a erstwhile diplomat, who discontinue successful protestation implicit the warfare past year.

Hala Rharrit told Al Jazeera successful a telephone interrogation that the medication of President Joe Biden is skirting the US’s ain regulations by continuing to limb Israel contempt well-documented abuses successful Gaza.

“They are willfully — and I don’t accidental that connection lightly, willfully — violating and evading US law,” said Rharrit, who resigned from the US State Department successful April.

“When I became a diplomat, I swore an oath to support the Constitution. They are circumventing the process to proceed the travel of arms, knowing however catastrophic that is. For me, it’s truly unforgivable, and it is criminal.”

There are respective US laws that prohibit limb transfers to quality rights abusers, including a prohibition connected information assistance to countries that artifact Washington-backed humanitarian aid.

The Leahy Law besides restricts US assistance to subject units that are credibly accused of gross quality rights violations, specified arsenic extrajudicial killings, torture and rape.

Moreover, the Biden medication has adopted a policy, dubbed National Security Memorandum 20, requiring allies that person US weapons to supply credible assurances that they are not utilizing the arms successful usurpation of planetary humanitarian law.

Despite these safeguards, the US has continued to proviso Israel — a state that starring rights groups accidental is committing genocide successful Gaza — with billions of dollars successful weapons.

Israel has killed astatine slightest 46,876 radical successful Gaza. It has besides imposed a suffocating siege connected the territory that sparked a deadly, man-made hunger crisis.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued apprehension warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his erstwhile defence minister, Yoav Gallant, connected charges of warfare crimes, including utilizing “starvation arsenic a method of warfare”.

Yet, Blinken has certified to Congress that Israel is not blocking humanitarian assistance to Gaza — an appraisal that assistance groups person rejected.

Blinken’s State Department has besides been accused of failing to enactment connected allegations of maltreatment by Israeli soldiers nether the Leahy Law, prompting a caller lawsuit against the Biden administration, led by Palestinians and Palestinian Americans.

And so, critics accidental Blinken has been instrumental successful ensuring that Israel continues to person the US weapons it uses to decimate Gaza.

Blinken besides oversaw the US delegation to the United Nations, which vetoed 4 Security Council resolutions that would person called for a ceasefire successful Gaza.

The apical US diplomat — who has a agelong past of staunch pro-Israel advocacy — has faced Palestinian rights protesters astatine legislature hearings, successful the streets and adjacent successful beforehand of his home.

Just this week, respective activists interrupted Blinken’s remarks astatine the Atlantic Council successful Washington, DC, calling him the “secretary of genocide”.

And connected Thursday, astatine Blinken’s last quality successful the State Department’s property briefing room, a writer was forcibly removed for repeated questions astir Blinken’s complicity successful Israel’s alleged warfare crimes.

Rharrit said it is earthy to entity to “massacres and quality beings being butchered”, predicting that Blinken volition proceed to beryllium confronted by protesters aft leaving his station connected Monday.

“This volition haunt him for the remainder of his life,” the erstwhile diplomat told Al Jazeera.

“History, for sure, volition justice him, and it is already doing truthful today. The question is: In aboriginal administrations, volition determination really beryllium accountability for the crimes that were committed nether this administration?”

The warfare successful Gaza appears to beryllium nearing a decision aft a ceasefire statement was reached this week, pursuing reports of involution from incoming President-elect Donald Trump.

For months, Israeli officials person pledged to propulsion connected with the war, and Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has openly bragged astir thwarting attempts to scope a woody that would extremity the struggle and pb to the merchandise of Israeli captives successful Gaza.

However, Blinken continues to importune that Hamas “played the spoiler” successful talks implicit the deal.

“I’ll archer you precise bluntly, Blinken is lying,” Rharrit said.

The ex-diplomat worked astatine the State Department for 18 years and served arsenic an Arabic connection spokesperson earlier quitting past year. She is 1 of respective US officials who resigned from the Biden medication implicit the uncompromising US enactment for Israel.

Rharrit said she is grateful that she near her station due to the fact that she felt similar she was being “silenced” erstwhile voicing concerns astir US policy.

“I don’t deliberation arsenic diplomats we are meant to enforce oregon instrumentality amerciable oregon inhumane policies and besides ones that are fundamentally contradictory to US nationalist information interests,” she told Al Jazeera.

“So determination was nary mode for maine to beryllium capable to stay nether those conditions.”