Press Release: State Department Whitewashes Israeli War Crimes in 2024 Human Rights Report
Joint analysis by DAWN and A New Policy finds report omits Israel’s genocide, starvation, torture, and other grave abuses in Gaza and the West Bank
Washington, D.C. (September 10, 2025) – A joint analysis of the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Human Rights Report on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza finds that the 2024 report has been dramatically weakened, politicized, and stripped of credibility at a moment of unprecedented human rights abuses, said DAWN and A New Policy in a new report released today.
“This report is not a tool of accountability but a shield for impunity,” said Josh Paul, director of A New Policy and co-author of the analysis. “By downplaying credible evidence of human rights violations, the State Department undermines U.S. values, weakens international law, and signals to allies and adversaries alike that Washington will excuse war crimes when politically convenient.”
The joint analysis – co-authored by former State Department officials Charles Blaha and Josh Paul – draws on the organizations’ distinct strengths: DAWN as a leading organization working to reform U.S. policy in the Middle East and hold abusers accountable, and A New Policy as a breakout nonpartisan lobby in Washington pushing to realign American power with democratic values.
The analysis reviewed the unprecedented record of documented human rights abuses in Israel, West Bank and Gaza in 2024, including genocide, mass starvation, deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, torture and sexual abuse of detainees, and deprivation of items essential to the survival of the population, all of which are completely omitted from the report; it also compared this year’s report with reports from prior years.
The comparative analysis reveals that the Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report is nearly 90% shorter than in 2023, despite record levels of documented violations in Gaza and the West Bank in 2024. Entire categories, including sexual and gender-based violence and attacks on journalists, are erased or reduced to vague mentions, most often paired with Israeli government denials. In addition, compared to prior years, the 2024 report eliminates or minimizes documentation of widespread Israeli violations — including war crimes, extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, and attacks on journalists — while relying almost exclusively on Israeli government sources and omitting key 2024 findings from respected international bodies, NGOs, and U.N. experts.
“The State Department has eviscerated not only the credibility but the utility of its annual human rights report, watering down the sections on Israel’s abuses so dramatically that they have no connection to the actual reality on the ground,” noted co-author Chares Blaha, senior advisor to DAWN and a 32-year State Department official. “The deliberate dilution of the 2024 Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report renders it useless as a reliable information source for Congress and the public.”
The near total omission of Israeli abuses in the 2024 Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report also betrays victims and damages U.S. credibility, leaving the U.S. further isolated from allies that have already imposed arms embargoes on Israel in response to ongoing violations.
“The State Department has gutted what was once one of its most valuable human rights tools,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director at DAWN. “At a time when the world’s leading courts, scholars and human rights organizations have determined Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, the U.S. has issued a report that reads like an advocacy brief for Israel.”
In light of the politicization of the 2024 Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report, DAWN and A New Policy urge Congress, the media, and civil society to demand revision of the Report to reflect a complete, rigorous and fact-based assessment of Israel’s human rights record.
Key takeaways from DAWN and A New Policy findings:
Drastically Weakened Report
In a year in which credible reports of Israeli violations of human rights and international humanitarian law soared, 90% reduction in length compared to previous years. The 2024 Israel/West Bank/Gaza section was reduced to 7,511 words, compared to 74,913 in 2023 and 48,921 in 2021.
The State Department justified this by saying “less is more,” but our analysis concludes “less is less, and significantly so.”
Critical Omissions of Major Developments
Significant, material omissions of extensively documented, unprecedented Israeli human rights abuses in Gaza, including genocide, indiscriminate and deliberate targeting of civilians, starvation, deprivation of items essential to the survival of the population,, deliberate attacks on hospitals, churches, mosques, schools, universities, and food warehouses, which have resulted in over 60,000 Palestinian casualties, the vast majority women and children.
Fails to mention 2024 ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, despite noting a similar warrant against Putin in Russia’s report.
Fails to mention 2024 ICJ decision ordering Israel to end its illegal occupation and apartheid rule; fails to mention ICJ decision ordering Israel to end starvation, denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On war crimes, it mentions only two Israeli incidents (a July Gaza airstrike and the WCK killings), presenting Israeli government denials and excluding independent information.
Downplayed Extrajudicial Killings (EJKs)
Cites only the killing of U.S. citizen Aysenur Eygi, paired with the IDF’s explanation, again excluding independent information.
Omits multiple reports of widespread Israeli EJKs documented by the UN, NGOs, and media investigations.
In contrast, past Reports included detailed cases and identified responsible Israeli units.
Whitewashing Torture and Abuse
While reports of torture and abuse by Israeli forces in 2024 reached levels described by UN experts as “crimes against humanity,” the Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report offers only vague references to Shin Bet interrogations.
Excludes high-profile allegations of sexual assault at Sde Tieman detention facility and omits prison conditions altogether.
Erasure of NGO and UN Information
Unlike prior reports, the 2024 Israel, West Bank, and Gaza Report contains almost no citations from respected NGOs or UN bodies.
This omission weakens the Report’s credibility and removes a key layer of protection for civil society groups who rely on U.S. acknowledgment for legitimacy and safety.
Politicized and Incomplete
The Report disproportionately amplifies abuses by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority while downplaying or excusing Israeli violations.
The analysis concludes the 2024 Israel Report is biased, incomplete, and not a useful tool for Congress, policymakers, or the public—serving instead as a justification for the current Administration policy of unconditional support for Israel, especially with regard to military assistance.
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The full joint analysis is available here.
DAWN is a nonprofit organization founded by Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 (relaunched publicly in 2020) that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. It seeks to reform U.S. foreign policy in the region, hold human rights abusers accountable, and amplify the voices of regional experts and activists. DAWN combines analysis, advocacy, and public engagement to advance democratic governance and human dignity in the Arab world. www.dawnmena.org
A New Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy and lobbying organization founded in 2024 by former government officials Josh Paul and Tariq Habash to realign American power with principled policy on Israel and Palestine. Leveraging deep government experience, A New Policy delivers expert analysis, advances bipartisan reforms, and mobilizes grassroots advocacy to champion a U.S. foreign policy rooted in democratic values and to lift up our nation’s role in the world. In 2025, A New Policy launched a legislative tracking tool for media, lawmakers and the general public to follow bills related to U.S. foreign policy and domestic civil liberties. www.anewpolicy.org
