Blinken denies US double standard over alleged Israeli rights abuses

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday denied that Washington has a “double standard” when applying U.S. law to allegations of abuses by the Israeli military in Gaza and said that examinations of such charges are ongoing.
“In general, as we’re looking at human rights and the condition of human rights around the world, we apply the same standard to everyone,” Blinken told a briefing at which he unveiled the State Department’s annual human rights report.
“That doesn’t change whether the country is an adversary, a competitor, a friend or an ally,” he continued.
The war between Israel and Hamas that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza has had “a significant negative impact” on the human rights situation in Israel, according to the report.
Significant human rights issues include credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture and unjustified arrests of journalists among others, said the report covering 2023.