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A former top US official who previously oversaw the human-rights compliance for foreign militaries that received US military assistance has accused the US of giving Israel special treatment regarding military aid scrutiny. 

Charles O. Blaha, who served in a key position within the State Department, made these remarks amid growing scrutiny over US military assistance to Israel, especially during the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. He said, “In my experience, Israel gets special treatment that no other country gets.”

This claim aligns with concerns from another former official, Josh Paul, who resigned in protest over the US expediting arms to Israel during the current conflict. The allegations have sparked a heated debate about the US commitment to human rights standards when dealing with its closest allies.

Blaha also points to multiple specific airstrikes that he argues could have resulted in the United States immediately reevaluating US military support for Israel. This coincides with 17 strikes that a group of former US civilian and military officials have claimed prove that the Israeli military acted illegally.  

The State Department, through spokesman Vedant Patel, has pushed back on these allegations, saying, “There is no double standard, and there is no special treatment.” The Israeli government, while not explicitly commenting on this incident, has always maintained that its forces follow the laws of war.