“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.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer that, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, made “clear our concerns about the levels of humanitarian assistance that have been making it into Gaza.”
One of the administration's issues appears to be that the Israeli military requires ID from those entering the conflict zone. According to the letter, “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.”
Biden’s National Security Communications adviser John Kirby said the letter “follows a marked decrease in humanitarian assistance, which has us concerned and which prompted the expression of those concerns in writing. We want that situation turned around now as soon as possible.”
The administration sent a similar letter in April.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the House Foreign Affairs Committee requested a briefing from the Biden-Harris administration regarding this letter, as it had not seen a copy.
Miller claimed that the letter was to address a new US policy from February under National Security Memorandum 20, which makes military assistance contingent on compliance with international law and international humanitarian law. In April, Blinken found Israel in compliance with that memorandum.
But “those levels of humanitarian assistance have to be sustainable,” Miller said.
Under Memorandum 20, restrictions don’t apply to defensive military equipment, such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, an anti-ballistic missile system that the US just deployed to help protect Israel against another potential Iranian attack.
The US list of demands that Israel must comply with included providing the US with assurances that “there will be no policy of forced evacuation from northern to Southern Gaza,” and that humanitarian organizations have access to northern Gaza.
The US also demanded that Israel stop attacks against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, whose staff participated in the Oct 7, 2023, massacre of over 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over 250 more.
The Biden-Harris administration also demanded that Israel allow 350 trucks of goods to enter Gaza daily and institute pauses in combat to allow for the distribution of aid. Hamas is the ruling government in Gaza and, as such, has confiscated much of the aid for their fighters and sold other aid to Palestinians.
After the letter circulated on social media Tuesday, Kamala Harris said at a rally in Arizona, in response to anti-Israel activists who interrupted her speech, that her mission is "respecting the voices" of the pro-Hamas protestors and demanded a ceasefire.
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