CNN –
The Biden administration has sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding that it work to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military aid, suggesting that US military aid may be at risk.
Sunday’s letter, co-written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. This represents an important new step by the United States to try to force Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
They wrote that the United States has deep concerns about the situation and are requesting “urgent and sustained action by your government this month to reverse this course.”
They added that since the spring of this year, the amount of aid provided to Gaza has decreased by more than 50%, and the amount delivered in September was “the lowest of any month over the past year.”
The deadline comes after the US presidential election on November 5.
But despite the stern warning, the United States continued to provide military assistance to Israel, including an advanced air defense system and US forces that began arriving in the country on Monday.
However, future US aid may be at risk. The letter, dated October 13, notes that the US Departments of State and Defense, under US law, “must continually evaluate” Israel’s compliance with its assurances made earlier this year that it would not restrict aid flows to the Strip.
A US defense official said the administration hopes the message will persuade the Israelis to take action. “Secretary Blinken sent a similar letter in April, which received a constructive response and concrete actions from the Israelis,” the official said. “This message follows the recent decline in aid reaching Gaza, which we aim to reciprocate through concrete measures.”
The list of American demands is extensive. The letter stated that Israel must allow at least 350 trucks daily to enter Gaza through the four main crossings, in addition to opening a fifth crossing. Israel should also implement a humanitarian truce throughout Gaza over the next month as necessary to enable humanitarian activities, including vaccines and aid distribution, for at least the next four months.
The United States also calls on Israel to allow people in the humanitarian Al-Mawasi area inside Gaza to move inland before winter and to enhance the security of humanitarian convoys and movements.
Israel must also take measures to ensure that the Jordanian Armed Forces corridors operate at “full and continuous capacity.”
The letter concludes by calling for the establishment of a new channel between the US and Israeli governments to “raise and discuss incidents of civilian harm,” with the first meeting to be held at the end of the month.
Israeli military operations in northern Gaza have intensified in recent weeks, and the Israeli army has called on civilians there to evacuate to the south, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are already taking refuge. The United Nations World Food Program warned last weekend that Israeli military operations were having a “catastrophic impact” on the food security of Palestinian families.
Blinken and Austin wrote that the Israeli government’s actions appear to be contributing to a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
“We are particularly concerned by recent actions taken by the Israeli government – including halting commercial imports, blocking or impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between north and south Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and imposing checks. “New and exhausting.” They said liability and customs requirements for humanitarian workers and shipments – coupled with increased chaos and looting – are contributing to the accelerating deterioration of conditions in Gaza.
It appears that Israel is already responding to the message, at least indirectly. Just one day after the letter was sent, the Coordination Agency for Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli agency that manages policy on the Palestinian territories and the flow of aid to the Strip, tweeted photos of aid going into Gaza.
30 trucks entered northern Gaza through the Erez crossing earlier today. “Israel does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into Gaza,” the Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories said in a post on the X website. “Israel will continue to allow humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza, while at the same time destroying Hamas positions.” Military and administrative infrastructure.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
