The Pentagon’s inspector general has launched its audit covering the military’s oversight of US military aid provided to Israel for its war against the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, Bloomberg reported. However, the audit will not investigate whether the over 50,000 tons of weapons transferred to Tel Aviv are being used to commit human rights violations, including those actions which break both US and international law.
“Proper use, storage, and physical security,” of US weapons and equipment such as drones, missiles, and night vision devices is what the IG will be evaluating. The IG’s office issued a press release stating the audit will be carried out per the Pentagon’s enhanced monitoring process of “accounting for sensitive defense articles” that Washington furnishes to its foreign allies. Although, Tel Aviv is not an official ally of the United States.
Bloomberg notes that a spokesperson for the IG’s office, Mollie Halpern, clarified last week that this audit will not investigate or review myriad allegations and evidence from humanitarian groups, the United Nations, as well as the media that Israel is routinely using the American-supplied arms to target civilians and civilian areas.
The IG’s announcement of the audit mentions that similar efforts regarding military aid furnished to Kiev and Baghdad have “found significant challenges.” An October 16 memo issued by the IG’s office explains “we will perform the audit at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the US Central Command, and the Office of Defense Cooperation-Israel.”
The Bloomberg report concludes, “It’s unclear what effect, if any, the new audit will have on US-Israel relations considering that it will take months to complete, won’t deal with human rights allegations and will probably contain major redactions in the findings released publicly.”
Recently, a group of 99 American doctors, nurses, surgeons, and other medical professionals who volunteered in Gaza wrote an open letter to the White House shedding light on the macabre reality of Israels’ genocidal war. They describe Palestinian children being shot in the head and chest by Israeli snipers on a daily basis and detail the devastating toll Israel’s siege warfare has wrought. The American doctors estimate the true death toll is already over 118,000, vastly exceeding Gaza Health ministry numbers.
Israel has, on numerous occasions, used even 2,000 pound bombs to annihilate civilians in areas the Israeli military itself had deemed “safe zones.” Additionally, American foreign assistance laws including the Leahy Laws prevent Washington from lavishing governments with arms and military equipment if said governments are engaged in gross violations of human rights including blocking humanitarian aid.
A recent ProPublica investigation revealed, despite experts within both the State Department and USAID concluding that Tel Aviv was deliberately blocking humanitarian aid, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lied to congress to ensure the White House could continue supplying the Israeli war machine.
A senior Israeli Air Force official made clear to Haaretz last month that, absent Washington’s constant infusions of military aid, Tel Aviv would be unable to sustain its brutal war on Gaza beyond a few months.
