US says Amnesty charge of ‘genocide’ by Israel ‘unfounded’

The United States said Thursday it disagreed with a report by Amnesty International that accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza and said its arms suppliers risked complicity.

“We disagree with the conclusions of such a report. We have said previously and continue to find that the allegations of genocide are unfounded,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Patel said that the United States, Israel’s main weapons supplier and diplomatic ally, remained concerned about the 14-month war in Gaza and distanced himself from Israel’s denunciation of Amnesty International as “deplorable and fanatical.”

“There continues to be a vital role that civil society organizations like Amnesty International and human rights groups and NGOs play in providing information and analysis as it relates to Gaza,” Patel said.

The US disagreement on the report “does not change the continued concern that we have as it relates to this conflict’s impact on civilians and civilian casualties, and we continue to stress at every turn that there is a moral and strategic priority for Israel to comply with international humanitarian law,” Patel said.