Inside Story

Why isn’t the US holding Israel to account?

A United Nations special committee says Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with genocide.

In a new report, a UN committee says Israel is intentionally causing the death of civilians and aid workers, using starvation as a weapon of war, and inflicting collective punishment on Palestinians.

Separately, the Human Rights Watch NGO says 90 percent of Gaza’s people have been forced from their homes in a mass displacement drive that some rights groups say could amount to a war crime and ethnic cleansing.

Senior US officials issued an ultimatum to Israel, saying that Washington could halt arms supplies if it did not allow more aid into Gaza.

But the US deadline has passed and humanitarian organisations say the situation is only getting worse.

So, why doesn’t the United States act?

And can anyone else hold Israel to account?

Presenter: Mohammad Jamjoom

Guests:

Tamara Alrifai – Spokesperson for UNRWA

Hassan Barari – Professor of international affairs at Qatar University

Nadia Hardman – Researcher in the Refugee and Migrants Rights Division of Human Rights Watch