Israel doesn’t even try to hide its continuous violations of human rights in Gaza. The entire world is witnessing the killings of children, civilians, journalists, and humanitarians. The footage of starved Palestinians is dominating the headlines. But if you ask Trump’s administration, there is nothing to see there.
Crimes Against Humanity Went Unnoticed
The U.S. law mandates the release of annual reports on the status of human rights in other countries of the world. In 2023, the report on Israel was 103 pages long and identified “significant human rights issues.” This was despite the full support that Joe Biden gave to Israel in their attack on Gaza. However, Trump’s administration opted to gut this year’s report to just nine pages.
Apparently, Israel’s crimes against humanity somehow went unnoticed by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The report briefly mentions that there has been a “rise in reports of human rights violations,” but doesn’t follow up on that. Instead, it focuses on violations committed by Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel’s wrongdoings remain unmentioned, or there is an attempt to justify them. International Court of Justice’s warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, and Yoav Gallant, the country’s former Minister of Defense, for war crimes and crimes against humanity are also ignored.
Josh Paul, former Director of Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, said that the reports seem like it was written “by someone who has been blindfolded, earmuffed, had a sock stuffed in their mouth, and then censored.” Paul previously served 11 years with the U.S. Department of State before resigning in 2023 in protest of the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
Trump’s Allies Can’t Do No Wrong
Reports on other countries further reveal the bias of the Trump administration. Countries that Trump considers his allies have been spared from any criticism despite well-documented violations of human rights. This includes Hungary, El Salvador, and Saudi Arabia. Countries that clashed with Trump in the past, like Brazil and South Africa, were scrutinized.
There is also a notable absence of sections that focus on violence against women, persecution of the LGBTQ+ community, and government corruption. Amanda Klasing, National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at Amnesty International USA, said that “never before have the reports gone this far in prioritizing an administration’s political agenda over a consistent and truthful accounting of human rights violations around the world.”
Invitation to Violate Human Rights
The reports released by the Trump administration can be seen as an invitation for countries to violate human rights. The only condition is that they’re approved by the former reality TV star. And, as we’ve seen so far, that approval is not hard to get.
Read Next: How American Tech Profits from Palestinian Oppression