CNN —
The Biden administration has sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding that it take action to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating U.S. law governing foreign military aid, and calling on the U.S. He suggested that military aid could be in jeopardy.
Sunday’s letter was jointly written by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Job Galan and Strategy Minister Ron Dermer. This marks a significant new step by the United States in its effort to force Israel to expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
They wrote that the United States is deeply concerned about this situation and is calling for “urgent and sustained action by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.”
Since this spring, the amount of aid delivered to Gaza has fallen by more than 50%, and the amount delivered in September was “the lowest of any month in the past year,” they added.
The deadline is after the US presidential election on November 5th.
But despite the stark warnings, the United States continues to provide military aid to Israel, including advanced air defense systems and American troops that began arriving in Israel on Monday.
But future U.S. aid could be at risk. The letter, dated October 13, said the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense must “continue to assess” Israel’s compliance with its commitments made earlier this year not to restrict aid flows to the enclave under U.S. law. I am doing it.
The US’ list of demands is extensive. In addition to opening a fifth crossing, Israel must allow at least 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza through all four major crossings, the letter states. . Israel must also impose a humanitarian suspension across Gaza over the next month, if necessary, to allow humanitarian operations such as vaccinations and aid distribution for at least the next four months.
The United States is also calling on Israel to allow people in the Almawashi humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip to move inland before winter and to increase security for humanitarian convoys and movements.
Israel must also take action to ensure that the Jordanian military corridor functions at “full and continuous capacity.”
The letter concludes by calling for a new channel to be established between the U.S. and Israeli governments to “raise and discuss civilian casualty cases,” with the first meeting to be held later this month.
Israeli military operations in northern Gaza have intensified in recent weeks, with the Israeli military calling on civilians in the Gaza Strip to evacuate south, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians have already fled. . The United Nations World Food Program warned over the weekend that Israeli military operations are having a “disastrous impact” on the food security of Palestinian families.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin wrote that the Israeli government’s actions appear to be contributing to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
“We are particularly concerned about the suspension of commercial imports, the denial or obstruction of nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, and the continuation of burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions. Recent actions by the Israeli government, including the introduction of new screening and burdensome measures, and liability and customs requirements for humanitarian workers and shipments, coupled with increased illegal activity and looting, are accelerating the situation in Gaza. “This is contributing to the deterioration,” they said.
Israel appears to have already responded to the letter, at least indirectly. Just one day after the letter was sent, COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages policy in the Palestinian territories and the flow of aid to the Palestinian territories, tweeted a photo of aid heading to Gaza.
“Earlier today, 30 trucks entered northern Gaza through the Erez crossing. Israel is not blocking the flow of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into Gaza,” COGAT said in a post on X. Ta. “Israel will continue to allow the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza population, while simultaneously destroying Hamas’ activities” military and governance infrastructure. ”
This story has been updated with additional details.
