The US won’t withhold weapons to Israel over Gaza’s humanitarian situation
Image: Reuters
On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced it won’t suspend military aid to Israel, after a US-imposed deadline to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza officially expired, citing good but limited progress in increasing the flow of aid to Gaza.
Background: In mid-October, US officials sent a letter urging Israel’s government to take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days – or risk losing military assistance from the US. The letter noted that aid shipments to Gaza had recently reached their lowest level since the early months of the war, and had dropped by at least 50% since April 2024.
Fast-forward one month…and rights groups say little progress has been made. A group of eight international aid organizations recently published a scorecard claiming Gaza’s humanitarian situation is at its worst point since the war began last October.
- Their scorecard cites a series of specific measurements outlined in the Biden admin’s October letter that Israel has failed to meet, such as enabling at least 350 humanitarian aid trucks to enter Gaza each day.
- Additionally, the Human Rights Watch published a report yesterday accusing Israel of a deliberate and systematic campaign of mass displacement targeting Palestinians in Gaza, which the org says amounts to both a war crime and a crime against humanity.
The US State Department says Israel’s government has taken some of the steps outlined in its previous letter but it “would like to see some more changes happen,” while Israel called the Human Rights Watch report "completely false and detached from reality."
Big picture – a war update: Israel continues to launch airstrikes into Gaza it says are targeting Hamas’ military operations, while Israeli ground troops have been battling Hamas fighters in northern Gaza since the beginning of last month. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed 43,000+ Palestinians, per local health authorities, while Israel has reported ~500 deaths from the war outside of Hamas’ initial October 7, 2023, attack.
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some analysts argue that the war has reached a point where it is undeniable that the US is only supplying Israel with the tools necessary to sustain a genocide, and that it is well past time for it to follow its allies to cease all aid to Israel altogether.
- Other commentators contend that the Biden administration’s letter is nothing but jargon and that the President’s legacy will be forever tainted if he does not take decisive action in forcing Israel to comply with US demands.
- “The United States must stop selling weapons to Israel.” –Maximilian Schenke, The Michigan Daily
- “If Israel doesn’t help Gaza’s civilians, Biden has to stop supplying weapons.” –David Ignatius, Washington Post
- “U.S must stop supporting Israel’s genocide.” –The Daily Star Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that Israel and America need each other in these turbulent times and that the next administration must take action to address the antisemitism and hate towards Jews that has risen as a result of the war and continue supporting Israel in its hour of need.
- Others contend that the Biden administration is jeopardizing Israel’s chances of victory over Hamas by allowing the militant group to consistently steal trucks of aid meant for Palestinians, which has supported Hamas’ war efforts.
- “Israel and America need each other, now more than ever.” –Jerusalem Post Editorial Board
- “Biden’s Pre-Election Threat to Israel.” –Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
- “Israel’s UNRWA ban won’t just have humanitarian consequences.” –Mahmoud Mushtata, The Globe and Mail
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