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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
US suggests military aid to Israel is at risk in letter demanding more
aid for Gaza
By Jeremy Diamond, Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood, CNN
Updated:
5:45 AM EDT, Wed October 16, 2024
Source: CNN
The Biden administration sent a letter to the Israeli government
demanding it act to improve the within the next 30 days or risk
violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting
US military aid could be in jeopardy.
The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is addressed to
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic
Affairs Ron Dermer. It marks a significant new step by the US to try
to compel Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into
Gaza.
They write that the US has deep concerns about the situation and ask
for “urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to
reverse this trajectory.”
Since this Spring, the amount of aid delivered to Gaza has dropped more
than 50% and the quantity delivered in September “was the lowest of
any month during the past year,” they added.
The deadline falls after the US on November 5.
Despite the stern warning, however, the US has continued to provide
military assistance to Israel. In May, President Joe Biden threatened
to cut off bombs and artillery to Israel if it launched a major
invasion of Rafah. Israel did, however, launch an invasion into Rafah
and the Biden administration still announced a $1 Billion weapon
package to Israel shortly after. Earlier this week, the US sent an
advanced air defense system and US troops to Israel amid heightend
tensions in the region.
Future US aid could be at risk, however. The letter, dated October 13,
notes that the US State and Defense departments, under US law, “must
continually assess” Israel’s adherence to its assurances made
earlier this year that it would not restrict aid flows into the
enclave.
A US defense official said that the administration hopes the letter
will convince the Israelis to act. “Secretary Blinken sent a similar
letter in April, which received a constructive response and concrete
measures from the Israelis,” the official said. “ This letter
follows a recent decrease in assistance reaching Gaza, which we aim to
similarly address with concrete measures.”
The US’ list of demands is extensive. Israel must allow at least 350
trucks a day to enter Gaza through all four major crossings, the letter
says, in addition to opening a fifth crossing. Israel must also over
the next month implement humanitarian pauses across Gaza as necessary
to enable humanitarian activities, including vaccinations and aid
distribution for at least the next four months.
The US is also demanding that Israel allow people in the Al-Mawasi
humanitarian zone inside Gaza to move inland before winter and enhance
security for humanitarian convoys and movements.
Israel must also take action to ensure that the Jordan Armed forces
corridors are functioning at “full and continuous capacity.”
The letter closes by calling for a new channel between the US and
Israeli governments to “raise and discuss civilian harm incidents,”
with the first meeting to be held at the end of the month.
Israel’s military operations in northern Gaza have intensified in
recent weeks, and the Israeli military has called on civilians there to
evacuate to the south, where more than one million displaced
Palestinians are already sheltering. The UN World Food Programme warned
last weekend that Israeli military operations are having a
“disastrous impact” on food security for Palestinian families.
Blinken and Austin wrote that the Israeli government’s actions appear
to be contributing to the worsening humanitarian situation.
“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli
government – including halting commercial imports, denying or
impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between northern
and southern Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive
dual-use restrictions, and instituting new vetting and onerous
liability and customs requirements for humanitarian staff and shipments
– together with increased lawlessness and looting – are
contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in
Gaza,” they said.
Israel appears to already be responding to the letter, at least
indirectly. Just one day after the letter was sent, COGAT, the Israeli
agency that manages policy for the Palestinian territories and the flow
of aid into the strip, tweeted photos of aid going into Gaza.
“30 trucks entered northern Gaza through the Erez Crossing earlier
today. Israel is not preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, with an
emphasis on food, into Gaza,” COGAT said in a post on X. “Israel
will continue to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the residents
of Gaza, while simultaneously destroying Hamas’ military and
governance infrastructures.”
This story is has been updated with additional details.
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