Gaza atrocities will ‘haunt’ Antony Blinken, says former US diplomat

Hala Rharrit calls for accountability for US officials who ensured the flow of arms to Israel despite abuses in Gaza.

Washington, DC – Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza — and the United States’ support for it — will “haunt” outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken for the rest of his life, says a former diplomat, who quit in protest over the war last year.

Hala Rharrit told Al Jazeera in a phone interview that the administration of President Joe Biden is skirting the US’s own regulations by continuing to arm Israel despite well-documented abuses in Gaza.

“They are willfully — and I don’t say that word lightly, willfully — violating and evading US law,” said Rharrit, who resigned from the US State Department in April.

“When I became a diplomat, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution. They are circumventing the process to continue the flow of arms, knowing how catastrophic that is. For me, it’s really unforgivable, and it is criminal.”

There are several US laws that prohibit weapon transfers to human rights abusers, including a ban on security assistance to countries that block Washington-backed humanitarian aid.