Trump authorizes Israel to use US weapons in violation of humanitarian law - WP
Photo: The United States has lifted the ban on the use of its weapons in violation of humanitarian law (Getty Images)
The Trump administration has canceled a Joe Biden-era decree that prohibits allies from using US-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian law. This could damage the reputation of the United States in the world, The Washington Post reports.
The agency received an order signed by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on February 21, canceling National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20). This decision was also confirmed on condition of anonymity by several current and former US officials.
The document, signed by Biden last year, requires all countries receiving arms from the United States to commit in writing that they will not use them to attack civilians or restrict humanitarian aid. Such conditions already existed, but the concept of a written commitment was new, as was the memorandum's directive that the State Department report to Congress on the issue.
Biden agreed to sign the memorandum under pressure from progressive Democrats who sought to limit US military aid to Israel. They argued that the aid was being used to harm civilians in the Gaza Strip.
A State Department report released a few months after the memorandum did not conclude that Israel was indeed abusing US security assistance. This infuriated the progressive lawmakers behind NSM-20.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, who proposed the memorandum bill, said that while NSM-20 may not have been implemented as its supporters envisioned, it was pressure on Israel to allow additional aid to Gaza at key moments in the war.
Christopher Le Mon, who served as a senior State Department human rights official in the Biden administration, said that the decision to cancel the directive would lead to even more civilians being killed with US-provided weapons, and this would damage America's reputation in the world.
“The only thing the Trump administration does by eliminating NSM-20 is signal to U.S. partners that the administration simply doesn’t care how these governments use US arms, no matter how immoral or illegal their conduct,” Le Mon said.
The Washington Post reminded that the repeal of NSM-20 is not the first step of the Trump administration aimed at rolling back policies that imposed restrictions aimed at protecting human rights.
During his first term in office, Trump introduced a policy of conventional arms transfers that prioritized economic considerations over civilian interests.
In the first days after his return to office in January, the Pentagon began the process of dismantling a department created under Biden to promote the safety of civilians during hostilities.
Trump's policy on war in Gaza
The White House's reversal of the February 2024 Biden directive comes at a time when President Donald Trump is transforming US foreign policy under the slogan America First.
At the end of January, the Trump administration lifted restrictions on the supply of heavy aircraft bombs to Israel.
The ban on the supply of this type of weapon to Israel was imposed by the Biden administration in May 2024. The reason was fears that the IDF would use heavy bombs during an offensive on the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, which would kill many civilians.
In addition, on February 15, Trump called on Israel to take a tough stance in the process of releasing Hamas hostages.
Meanwhile, the media do not rule out that Netanyahu may ask Trump for weapons to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.
