U.S Warns Israel to Increase Aid to Gaza or Face Consequences
"U.S Warns Israel to Increase Aid to Gaza or Face Consequences," Michael Crowley and David E. Sanger (New York Times, 10/15/2024).
I thank the Biden Administration, specifically Vice President Harris, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin, President Biden and everyone on the Biden Team for demanding that the Israeli government allow the delivery of substantially more food aid into Gaza for severely food-insecure, repeatedly bombed and traumatized Palestinian civilians. Vice President Harris recently stated that no food has entered northern Gaza for nearly two weeks. See a copy of her statement below. An undernourished toddler can’t go two weeks without food. I don’t get how the Israeli government can’t see Palestinian civilians as people worthy of protection. They are not just human shields being exploited by Hamas and the Russian Mafia. They are ordinary people trying to survive a nightmare not of their making. I beg the Israeli government to allow in the food and other items Palestinian civilians need. I beg the Israeli government to end this evil, inhumane war.
I thank Mr. Austin and Mr. Blinken for their sharply worked letter to the Israeli government demanding a course-correction to allow significantly more food aid into Gaza, especially northern Gaza. It is a war crime to starve civilians. Below in quotes please find much of the New York Times 10/15/2024 article:
“The Biden administration warned Israel over the weekend that a failure to allow the delivery of more humanitarian aid within 30 days to the nearly two million people trapped in Gaza could trigger a cutoff of military aid, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.”
“The sharply worded warning was sent on Sunday in a letter signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken…. It was addressed to Israel’s minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, and its minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer.”
“…..Vice President Kamala Harris…. the war must end quickly, in part to end the “heartbreaking” loss of Palestinian lives.”
“The letter was publicly leaked on Tuesday morning, a day after Ms. Harris said in a social media post that Israel must do more to allow aid into Gaza.”
“U.S. and United Nations officials have warned in recent weeks that conditions are deteriorating further in Gaza, particular in the territory's north, as Israel’s military has focused operations against what it calls Hamas holdouts in the area.”
“What we have seen over the past few months is that the level of humanitarian assistance has not been sustained” in Gaza, Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, told reporters at a news briefing. “In fact, it has fallen by over 50 percent from where it was at its peak.”
“He added that Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin “thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes that they need to make” to increase aid deliveries “from the very, very low levels” of the current moment. Aid shipments into Gaza in September reached their lowest level at any time since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel a little over a year ago, he said.”
“…..the letter…. clearly raised the possibility of suspending military aid. It involved a U.S. law that bars military assistance to an country found to be blocking the delivery of U.S.-provided humanitarian aid. Mr. Miller appeared to allude to that possibility, saying: It's just a plan reading of U.S. law. We are required to conduct assessments and find that recipients of U.S. military assistance do not arbitrarily deny or impede the provisioning of U.S. humanitarian assistance. That’s just the law, and we of course will follow the law.”
“The U.S. warning that military aid to Israel could be in jeopardy comes as the Biden administration says it is sending an advanced air defense system to help the country defend itself from missile attacks by Iran.”
“…..”
“...Biden administration officials say their concern about conditions in Gaza has risen rapidly in recent weeks.”
“We are now writing to underscore the U.S. government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory,” the letter from Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin states.”
“The letter set several specific benchmarks for Israel to meet, including the passage of at least 350 aid trucks per day into Gaza and “instituting adequate humanitarian pauses” in military operations to allow for aid delivery and vaccinations “for at least the next four months.”
“….”
“The letter …… opens with a reminder of commitments Israel made to Mr. Blinken in April, which resulted in a temporary increase in aid deliveries into Gaza.”
“U.S. officials are particularly concerned about northern Gaza, where about 400,000 Palestinians remain. Israel has ordered their evacuation, warning that they are at high risk from fighting in the area. The letter called on Israel to end the “isolation” of northern Gaza, including by reaffirming “that there will be no Israeli government policy of forced evacuation of civilians from northern to southern Gaza.”
“The letter also insists that Israel allow people in a humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, on Gaza’s coast, be allowed to move inland before the onset of winter.”
“John F. Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters in a separate briefing that the letter reflects “a deep sense of urgency” within the Biden administration about the situation.”
“One sign of the concern came in the form of Ms. Harris’s social media post.”
“The UN reports that no food has entered northern Gaza in nearly 2 weeks,” Ms. Harris wrote on her official government account. “Israel must urgently do more to facilitate the flow of aid to those in need. Civilians must be protected and must have access to food, water, and medicine. International humanitarian law must be respected.”
“The 30-day deadline set by the letter would fall after the election potentially making it politically easier for Mr. Biden to take stronger action against Israel than he has so far been willing to.”
Mr. Miller, the State Department spokesman, said that the 30-day period would provide Israel with “an appropriate” amount of time to implement changes to its aid delivery, rather than demanding that “this has to happen overnight.”
“Mr. Blinken sent a similar letter to Mr. Gallant in April, which Mr. Miller credited with prompting Israel to increase its aid deliveries into Gaza. After that letter, Mr. Miller said, as many as 300 to 400 aid trucks were entering Gaza on some days – a number U.S. officials consider adequate. But, he added Mr. Blinken also made clear at that time “that the increase couldn’t be a one-off, that it needed to be sustained.”