US warns Israel it will impose arms embargo if ‘dire’ Gaza aid situation not addressed
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin give Israeli government 30 days to address 'deterioration of the humanitarian situation' in Gaza
The United States has warned the Israeli government it will impose an arms embargo if it does not urgently address the “deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
The White House expressed deep concern over the “increasingly dire” conditions in Gaza and called for urgent steps by Israel within the next 30 days to reverse this trend.
A letter from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin sent to both Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Demer on Sunday called for Israel to uphold its March 2024 commitment “to allow and not prevent the transfer of American humanitarian aid or aid supported by the administration in Gaza.”
It added: “Israel must, starting now and within 30 days, act on the following concrete measures. Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 and relevant U.S. law.”
The Biden administration said the situation in Gaza was “increasingly dire,” and added they were “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 letter was sent ahead of the decision by the US to deploy its THAAD missile defense system to Israel.
French President Emmanuel Macron sparked anger after he called for an arms embargo on Israel earlier this month.
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