A high-stakes report looms over Biden on whether Israel violated international law

The Biden administration is rushing to finish a high-stakes report due to Congress this week on whether Israel has violated international humanitarian law during its war in Gaza— a determination that could lead to significant repercussions and further inflame divisions at home and abroad.

The Biden administration is rushing to finish a high-stakes report due to Congress this week on whether Israel has violated international humanitarian law during its war in Gaza — a determination that could lead to significant repercussions and further inflame divisions at home and abroad. The report has been the subject of intense debate for months across the administration and has already led to deep divisions inside the State Department, where some offices have expressed doubt over Israel’s assurances that it has used US weapons without violating international law during its 7-month war in Gaza. The report, which will also weigh in on whether Israel has impeded the delivery of US humanitarian assistance, comes at a pivotal moment in the war. Israel appears on the precipice of an incursion into the southern city of Rafah, something President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against. Meanwhile Hamas and Israel remain unable to reach a ceasefire and hostage release agreement as numerous American universities cancel graduation ceremonies after pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campuses over the past few weeks. Under pressure from Democrats in Congress, Biden agreed in February to issue a new national security memorandum that would examine Israel’s conduct and use of US weapons in its war against Hamas. That memorandum requires all countries using US weapons to attest that they are doing so consistent with international human rights law, with an expedited timeline for those in an active conflict. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has until Wednesday to report to Congress whether the administration finds those assurances to be “credible and reliable.” However, the administration has relayed to Capitol Hill that the report is expected to be slightly delayed, congressional sources told CNN. “We are trying very hard to meet that deadline,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday, noting that it’s the first time the department has written a report of this nature. “It’s possible it slips just a little bit.”