Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U.S. has seen “no evidence” to support arguments that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The statement came as Austin testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee—a hearing that was repeatedly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters as officials discussed this year’s federal budget.
“We don’t have any evidence of genocide being created,” Austin said.
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A question from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) prompted Austin’s answer. The senator appeared to cut off the secretary before he could finish his thought, but indicated he was pleased with the response.
“Better than (CIA) Director (William) Burns and Director (of National Intelligence Avril) Haines did last month at the Intelligence committee when they dodged that question,” he said.
Cotton followed up with another question of a similar nature, asking Austin if he believes the U.S. was “green-lighting genocide” by providing military and financial assistance to Israel.
Austin answered that he “absolutely does not” think the U.S. has aided Israel in committing genocide. He added that the U.S. remains “committed to helping assist Israel in defending its territory and its people by providing security assistance.”
The secretary went on to say the acts of Oct. 7, 2023, were “absolutely horrible,” reminding the committee that over a thousand Israelis were slain and hundreds of others, including Americans, were taken hostage.
Austin made no mention of the recent U.S. calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Palestinian officials say more than 33,000 people, including thousands of women and children, have been killed by Israeli forces since October.
Washington has been increasing pressure on Israel to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas—calls that were amplified last week after a vehicle carrying foreign aid workers was hit in an Israeli airstrike, killing a dual citizen of the United States and Canada among other westerners.
In response to that strike, Joe Biden said last week that Israel needs to implement “specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” Israel said it dismissed two officers who were responsible for the attack, which it called a mistake.
Other officials in the U.S., like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), have recently gone as far as suggesting that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Politico reported she said last week that she believes the International Court of Justice will “find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so.”
