The Biden administration sharply intensified pressure on Israel this week to improve dire conditions for civilians in the Gaza Strip, warning that it would be forced to take punitive measures, potentially including a suspension of military aid, if the flow of humanitarian assistance is not increased within a month.
In an Oct. 13 letter to senior Israeli officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanded urgent steps to ensure that noncombatants have access to food and other necessities, blaming lawlessness and actions by the Israeli government in permitting a deterioration of conditions in Gaza, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss correspondence that had not been made public.
Absent a change, Blinken and Austin cautioned, the administration would be obliged to take steps laid out under policies linking compliance with international norms to the provision of U.S. weapons and military assistance. The letter gives Netanyahu one month to comply, which would delay any action until after the U.S. presidential election.
The warning from Austin and Blinken, addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, raises the possibility that the United States could suspend arms transfers to Israel if the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to block the flow of humanitarian aid, which the United Nations recently said has not reached Gaza in two weeks.
U.S. officials say they are concerned about the sharp drop-off in aid, which they say could make the provision of military aid illegal under U.S. law. But critics say there have been ongoing humanitarian problems with little change in U.S. policy.
In an Oct. 13 letter to senior Israeli officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanded urgent steps to ensure that noncombatants have access to food and other necessities, blaming lawlessness and actions by the Israeli government in permitting a deterioration of conditions in Gaza, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss correspondence that had not been made public.
Absent a change, Blinken and Austin cautioned, the administration would be obliged to take steps laid out under policies linking compliance with international norms to the provision of U.S. weapons and military assistance. The letter gives Netanyahu one month to comply, which would delay any action until after the U.S. presidential election.
The warning from Austin and Blinken, addressed to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, raises the possibility that the United States could suspend arms transfers to Israel if the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to block the flow of humanitarian aid, which the United Nations recently said has not reached Gaza in two weeks.
U.S. officials say they are concerned about the sharp drop-off in aid, which they say could make the provision of military aid illegal under U.S. law. But critics say there have been ongoing humanitarian problems with little change in U.S. policy.
