Last Wednesday, the Biden administration once again threatened to halt weapons shipments to Israel due to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, recent deliveries of arms cast doubt on the seriousness of this assertion.
The warning came in a letter co-issued by the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Special Affairs Ron Dermer.
In the letter, Blinken and Lloyd stressed the need for “urgent and sustained actions by [the Israeli] government this month to reverse this trajectory”. This warning comes as U.S. military aid to Israel has reached nearly $18 billion since Hamas fighters launched the October 7th attacks, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 taken hostage.
Despite the severity of these attacks, Israel’s subsequent military actions in Gaza have faced widespread criticism from international bodies. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled months ago that Israel’s occupation and actions in Gaza violate humanitarian law. Over 42,000 Palestinians, more than half of whom are women and children, have been killed in the conflict. Hundreds of thousands more are at risk of famine given the lack of humanitarian assistance allowed into the city by Israeli officials, with over 90% of the population at risk, according to the World Food Programme.
The letter by the U.S. claims that there has been a 50% drop in the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza through various borders since this Spring, followed by a 90% drop this September, exasperating the already desperate situation. Journalist Medhi Hasan claims that entire aid trucks were turned away because they contained items such as “nail clippers” and “chocolate croissants”. Israel on the other hand affirms that it has been consistently allowing aid into Gaza.
This criticism comes amid growing U.S. disapproval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war, with increasing alarm over the escalating humanitarian crisis among Palestinians. The sentiment that Israel is aggravating Gaza’s situation was amplified last week after a video surfaced showing 19-year-old university student Sha-ban al-Dalou burning alive following an Israeli airstrike on a civilian encampment near al-Aqsa Martyr’s Hospital in Central Gaza.
Despite these piling incidents, the U.S. has yet to center criticism toward Israel based on its military’s intensification of civilian harm incidents. Blinken and Austin instead list out other matters.
“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.”
The U.S. Foreign Assistance Act forbids the providing of military support or assistance to countries that obstruct humanitarian aid — something actively being done in Gaza.
As a response, Blinken and Austin list out strict guidelines for Israel to follow, including allowing at least 350 aid trucks in daily, implementing frequent humanitarian pauses, and holding periodic meetings to “raise and discuss civilian harm incidents”. As of the letter being sent, Israel has 30 days to complete the orders or risk a cease in weapons shipments from the U.S.
However, the credibility of halting weapons shipments has already been undermined, in some views. Just a day earlier, the U.S. sent a shipment of defense missiles to Israel, along with 100 soldiers to operate them, raising doubts about the federal government’s willingness to enforce punitive measures against Israel’s conduct in the war.
Last May, the U.S. encountered a similar situation when Israel oversaw a ground invasion into the Rafah safe zone against the Biden administration’s orders. Yet despite their lack of compliance, the U.S. continued its military support. Many hope that now, given the war’s worsened prolonged state, the U.S. will follow through with ensuring Israel follows both international law as well as its own.
