During a press briefing on Monday, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel answered reporter questions on the blockage of aid trucks into Gaza.
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00:00 I'm sure lots of people have questions on it.
00:03 In it, the State Department says it's reasonable to assess that there could be violations,
00:07 but of course saying that there's no evidence of it.
00:09 If it's reasonable to assess that there are violations, how does this affect the State Department planning going forward?
00:14 Should there be greater concern, greater restrictions potentially on weapons?
00:19 So there is no policy change to announce, Sean.
00:24 What the report makes clear is that, first, to take a little bit of a step back,
00:34 the report makes clear that this is a very complex and complicated battlefield.
00:41 It is a very dense and urban setting.
00:45 We are also dealing with a belligerent, in this case Hamas,
00:50 that has a clear track record and history of co-locating itself with civilians and civilian infrastructure,
00:57 using civilians as human shields.
01:01 We've also made clear in the report that the IDF has undertaken steps
01:09 to implement international humanitarian law obligations for the protections of civilians in the current conflict,
01:15 including requirements that are related to distinction, proportionality, and others.
01:20 But we also are clear in our report that it's reasonable to assess that defense articles
01:24 covered under the National Security Memorandum have been used by Israeli security forces
01:30 in instances that are inconsistent with its IHL obligations.
01:35 But we also have no direct indication of Israel intentionally targeting civilians.
01:42 But to take a step back, Sean, and I guess this addresses kind of your broader question,
01:48 a country's overall commitment to international humanitarian law
01:53 is not necessarily disproven by what may be individual IHL violations.
02:00 And the most important thing here is that Israel does have a number of ongoing active criminal investigations pending,
02:09 and there are hundreds of other cases under administrative review.
02:12 Israel has taken steps to and is taking steps to hold itself and its actions accountable.
02:19 Simultaneously, we also continue to have tools at our disposal
02:24 that existed before the National Security Memorandum and existed afterwards.
02:29 Things like the CHIRG process, the Leahy process, the conventional arms transfer policy,
02:37 end-use monitoring, and other things to continue to assess and continue to look into instances
02:43 that are reported to us that may be concerning.
02:47 The same can be said about humanitarian aid.
02:51 We continue to monitor that situation very closely,
02:55 and we'll continue to assess the government of Israel by its actions as it relates to humanitarian aid.
03:01 Sure. Now, when you say you have lots of tools at your disposal,
03:04 I know you said that you think that the Israelis have taken action on their own.
03:09 In the State Department's view, there's no intention there,
03:15 but if it's reasonable to assess that things have gone against the spirit of international humanitarian law,
03:22 is there more that can be done, and particularly with this,
03:25 if it's a question of not actually having evidence of it?
03:29 Will the State Department continue to probe and see if there is--
03:32 So we'll continue to look at the circumstances on the ground as we have prior to the National Security Memorandum was even signed.
03:44 It's important to remember that the NSM did not outline or create any new parameters or mechanisms.
03:53 Really, it was another assessment tool, and the tools that we have at our disposal will continue to exist.
04:01 And Sean, it's important to remember that given the nature of what is happening on the ground
04:06 and given the nature of Hamas's track record of co-locating itself with civilians, using civilians as human shields,
04:13 we're unable to make a conclusive determination as it relates to violations of international humanitarian law.
04:22 Just one more for you on this.
04:24 In terms of the message that's being sent from this, what message do you expect Israel in particular to see from this?
04:32 The fact that you're saying that they're-- not you personally, but the State Department is saying that there are potential violations of the spirit,
04:39 things that are going against international humanitarian law, that there's no firm evidence, there are no repercussions.
04:45 What message do you think should be taken from this?
04:47 Do you think there should be a sense of they should do more, they should do more to-- they could do better, potentially?
04:53 Absolutely.
04:54 Our message continues to be what our message has been for some time,
05:00 which is that the United States stands with Israel in its effort to defeat Hamas
05:05 and hold the terrorists accountable for those that were responsible for the October 7 terrorist attacks.
05:12 But simultaneously, there is a moral and strategic imperative to take every possible step to minimize civilian casualties,
05:19 steps that we know that the IDF has the tools and the capability to undertake,
05:27 things that unfortunately are not being met in certain instances,
05:33 but simultaneously that this is also a belligerent that is using civilians as human shields,
05:41 and therefore we've not been able to come to any kind of conclusive conclusion on this.
05:46 And on the humanitarian aid front, we'll continue to press all regional partners,
05:51 including the government of Israel, to do everything we can to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
05:56 Camilla.
05:57 Thank you.
05:58 I'm just sticking on the National Security Memorandum.
