The US has issued a stark ultimatum to Israel, warning it must relax restrictions on the flow of aid into and around Gaza lest it face being cut off from arms imports.
The threat, delivered in a letter penned by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, constitutes Washington’s strongest warning to Israel over the worsening humanitarian situation in the Palestine enclave.
Washington’s top diplomat cited the strict controls Israel is imposing, including ‘burdensome and excessive’ restrictions on import materials and the denial of most humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza.
Blinken and Austin demanded concrete action be taken within 30 days, including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza per day, instituting pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery and rescinding evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians when there is no operational need.
‘Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for US policy… and relevant US law,’ the letter concluded, citing a section of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits military aid to countries that impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
It comes at a time when the threat of escalation in the Middle East appears at an all-time high.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday roundly rejected the notion of a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon as the IDF ramped up bombing raids on Beirut.
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Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister this morning warned UN chief Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready to deliver a ‘decisive and regretful’ response if Israel attacks the Islamic republic in retaliation for a barrage of missiles launched earlier this month.
The letter from the White House marks a noticeable shift in US support for Israel which until now has largely remained ironclad.
Israel says it is following international law in its operations aimed at rooting out Hamas militants hiding in tunnels and among Gaza’s civilian population, but has faced mounting criticism over eye-watering death tolls and the sordid humanitarian situation its military campaign has created.
