State Department contradicts claim of 'same standard' for Israeli, Hamas conduct

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The U.S. State Department appears to have contradicted itself on whether Israel is held to a different moral standard than Hamas.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that there was no "double standard" of expectations for either side of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"Do we have a double standard? The answer is ‘no,’" Blinken said Monday while discussing the department's report on human rights violations in the region.

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Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, speaks at a press conference at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.  (Britta Pedersen/picture alliance via Getty Images)

He continued, "As this report makes clear, 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."

Ambassador David Satterfield, the State Department's special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, however, seemed to directly contradict this assertion on Tuesday, saying that there is indeed a different standard of behavior expected from Israel in the conflict.

"Now with respect to Israel, we require from Israel — because it is the right and moral thing to do — a very different standard of conduct," Satterfield told reporters during a press conference.

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Amb. David Satterfield, the State Department's special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, speaks at a Senate Foreign Relations hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

He continued, "And as I noted in my remarks, the president made clear on his visit to Israel shortly after Oct. 7, it's not just strategically important for you to do this. It's the morally right thing to do. It is the reflection of what Israel is — a democracy with values."

The State Department's annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices highlighted Israel prominently, featuring concerns over the country's precautions to minimize the civilian toll of Palestinians on the first page, which is normally reserved for the most egregious of human rights abusers. 

In the report's preface, Blinken addressed human rights concerns about the war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas prior to either Iran or the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

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Israeli army battle tanks move into an area along the border with the Gaza Strip and southern Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images)

The secretary of state explained that the U.S. has "made clear" that Israel needs to follow international law "and take every feasible precaution to protect civilians." Blinken emphasized that the department is still "urgently" raising concerns about civilian deaths in Gaza during the war.

The U.S. also "repeatedly" brought up concerns about humanitarian aid access in Gaza, civilian displacement and "unprecedented" journalist deaths, the report noted. 

Israel was mentioned before the Biden administration's State Department addressed "ongoing and brutal human rights abuses in Iran" or "the Taliban’s systemic mistreatment of and discrimination against Afghanistan’s women and girls." 

Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this report.