US State Department: We disagree with Amnesty, charges of genocide "unfounded"
In the State Department's Daily Briefing today, Spokesperson Vedant Patel rejected the idea that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip in its war on Hamas.
In response to a report published today (Thursday) by Amnesty International claiming that Israel was committing genocide in its war in Gaza, Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a briefing that the US disagrees with Amnesty and considers the genocide allegations "unfounded."
He did qualify this statement by saying that "civil society organizations" such as Amnesty International play an important role in providing information and analysis regarding events in Gaza.
Patel added that this disagreement did not change the United States' continuing concern with the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the impact of the conflict in terms of civilian casualties, and the stress the State Department places on the moral and strategic imperative of Israel following international humanitarian law.