US gives Israel 'private apology' for including Palestinian trans woman's suicide in trafficking report

The US has privately apologised to Israel for its mention of the suicide of a Palestinian trans woman in the preface of a report on human trafficking, according to American news website Axios.

The Israel section of the State Department's 2022 Trafficking in Persons report, published in July, included the story of Amira, a 19-year-old trans woman living in the occupied West Bank who was a victim of sex trafficking.

The report said she sought asylum in Israel where authorities did not recognise her as a trafficking victim, which prevented her from accessing a work permit and legal assistance. Months later, she took her own life.

However, Israeli officials said Amira was in the process of obtaining asylum at the time of her death, Axios reported Wednesday.

Angered Israeli officials summoned a diplomat from the US embassy to protest the report's contents, the news site said.

Officials from Israel's foreign and justice ministries told the diplomat that they were "stunned" to see the mention of Amira in the introduction of the report, according to a meeting summary obtained by Axios.

They said the details of Amira's case were inaccurate and "a grave violation of her right to privacy". They also protested the use of the word Palestine in the text, calling it "inappropriate".

Emily Konerak, the State Department official who wrote the Israel section of the report, apologised for the inclusion of the woman's case as an example of Israel's human trafficking standards, Axios said, citing the meeting summary.

Korenak said it was "a serious failure" by the State Department, the summary reportedly read.

Israeli officials were also more broadly angry that the State Department is continuing to classify Israel as Tier 2 (mid) state in its efforts to eliminate human trafficking, where it sits alongside most Middle East and North African nations, according to Axios.

"The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period... However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas," the report said of the classification.