US expects Israel to conduct operations in Gaza in compliance with international law

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Thursday it expects Israel to conduct operations in the conflict with Palestine under international law and it supports Israel's right to self-defense.

The comments came after State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked by Anadolu if the US is reconsidering its policy of unconditional military assistance to Israel, and whether there are concerns that military supplies might be involved in war crimes.

Miller simply said, “No.”

“I would say that we have made very clear that we expect Israel to conduct its operations in compliance with international law,” he said.

“That's the standard we hold ourselves to. The standard we hold our partners to. The standard every democracy ought to be held to,” he said.

He said, however, that the US “strongly” supports Israel’s “right to defend itself.”

“We are going to continue providing the security assistance that they need to defend themselves. We think they have a right not only a right but an obligation to defend themselves against these terrorist attacks,” he added.

The US is providing Israel with $3.8 billion in annual security assistance with additional assistance set to be requested by President Joe Biden.

That exchange was after Miller said in response to a question about the resignation of senior State Department Official Josh Paul, who cited the Biden administration’s approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict, that ‘we understand, we expect, we appreciate” those working for the department have “different political beliefs” about what the US policy should be.

“One of the strengths of this department is that we do have people with different opinions,” he said, adding those views are welcomed by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he “takes it seriously” and “reflects” on policy making.

Paul, who was director of the congressional and public affairs at the agency that oversees arms transfers to foreign nations, said in his resignation letter that he cannot "work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse.”