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AFTER widespread outrage over the United States’ continued backing of Israel’s devastating year-long genocidal assault on Gaza, several media outlets reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration had threatened to cut off military support if Israel failed to take ‘urgent and sustained actions’ to improve the humanitarian crisis in Palestine within 30 days.
A letter dated 13 October, authored by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, was addressed to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
The letter’s content, verified by US and Israeli officials, was shared by Barak Ravid on social media, with reports also confirming its authenticity.
Blinken and Austin referenced legal obligations under US federal law and National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20), signed by President Joe Biden in February.
NSM-20 requires the secretary of state to secure assurances from foreign governments that US arms are used in compliance with international humanitarian law and that humanitarian assistance will not be obstructed.
The letter stated that Israel must act ‘immediately and within 30 days’ on several specific measures to reverse the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
The secretaries warned that failure to demonstrate sustained commitment could affect US policy under NSM-20 and related laws.
Among the actions demanded were ensuring all humanitarian aid reached Gaza and maintaining commercial and Jordanian Armed Forces corridors at full capacity. Israel was also instructed to lift the isolation of northern Gaza.
Blinken and Austin criticised the Knesset’s potential legislation affecting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warning that it would severely impact the humanitarian response and cut off essential services to Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Such measures could have legal implications under US law.
Israel appeared to react quickly to the letter. The day after it was sent, COGAT, the Israeli authority managing Palestinian territories, posted photos of aid trucks entering Gaza, stating: ‘Israel is not preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, with an emphasis on food, into Gaza.’
However, despite this, Israel has continued its military campaign, with bombings targeting civilians, hospitals, and refugee camps. This ongoing violence has led several US lawmakers to condemn ‘this evil genocide’.
Israel faces charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice over its year-long assault on Gaza, which has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to officials in the Hamas-administered enclave. More than 99,000 others have been injured, with thousands still missing.
Reacting to the US ultimatum, Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, remarked: ‘This official warning is an important and unprecedented signal that Israel has even crossed the Biden administration’s permissive red lines.’
The Institute for Middle East Understanding also pointed out that the US Agency for International Development and the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration had recommended ceasing arms sales to Israel months ago due to similar violations, accusing Blinken of ignoring these warnings and misleading Congress.
Many US lawmakers, including Palestinian American Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman and Congressman Jamaal Bowman, also criticised the 30-day deadline as too lenient. ‘How many more Palestinians are we going to allow Israel to murder in 30 days?’ Bowman questioned, calling for an immediate arms embargo.
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