William Hartung, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Government in Washington, DC, who specializes in arms transfer issues, expressed the view that the US administration avoids providing specific details about military aid to Israel to prevent drawing attention to civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip resulting from the use of US weapons.
"The argument that releasing more of this information would compromise Israeli operational security is a pretext to restrict the disclosure of weapon types supplied to Israel and their utilization," The Intercept online publication quoted Hartung as stating on Tuesday. The article highlights that Washington provides extensive information on arms deliveries to Ukraine while revealing minimal details about military assistance to Israel. US officials justify this by their desire not to jeopardize the security of the Jewish state.
Hartung further stated, "I believe the intentional lack of transparency regarding the daily arms supply from the US to Israel is part of the [Washington] administration's strategy to downplay Israel's use of these weapons in actions that are deemed war crimes, resulting in civilian casualties in Gaza. While Israel does have a legitimate right to defend itself against grave threats from Hamas, its response, such as the extensive bombing campaigns and blockades affecting the entire population of 2 million, leading to the deaths of numerous innocent individuals, has been classified as war crimes by impartial experts."
Hartung expressed that "politically, disclosing all the specifics regarding the armaments supplied to the Israeli military is a delicate matter." He elaborates that certain American weapons are expected to be employed in actions that could potentially lead to illegal attacks on civilians as the conflict persists.
The article also includes insights from a retired US general with prior experience in the region. According to this source, the United States is hesitant to provide extensive information on arms deliveries to Israel due to the potential repercussions, including civilian casualties.
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Based on materials from TASS