Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Biden administration is pressuring Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza within the next 30 days or face potential restrictions on U.S. military assistance.
In a letter sent last Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned their Israeli counterparts to make changes. The letter emphasized the U.S. policy on humanitarian aid and arms transfers.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated on Tuesday that a similar letter was sent to Israeli officials by Blinken in April. Despite an increase in humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, the situation did not sustain.
“In fact, aid levels have dropped by over 50% compared to peak levels,” Miller said at a press conference. “Therefore, the Secretary of State and Defense Secretary believe it is necessary to make it clear to the Israeli government that they need to make changes again to ensure that the level of aid entering Gaza rises from its current very, very low levels.”
Despite issuing stern warnings to Israel, the U.S. remains committed to ensuring the safety of the Israeli people. On the same day as the letter was sent, the U.S. also announced providing Israel with the powerful THAAD defense system and deploying soldiers to operate the missile defense system.
However, if Israel fails to meet the demands presented by Blinken and Austin within the next 30 days, future U.S. military assistance to Israel may be at risk.
The Secretary of State and Defense Secretary pointed out in the letter that under U.S. law, the State Department and Department of Defense must continuously assess whether Israel is adhering to its promises earlier this year of not restricting aid to enter Gaza.
The letter also stated that for Israel to continue to qualify for foreign military aid, the amount of aid entering Gaza must increase to at least 350 trucks per day. Israel must implement more humanitarian temporary ceasefires and provide increased security for humanitarian sites.
White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby emphasized that the letter was not meant as a threat but rather reiterated the urgency and seriousness of increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“In our view, they (Israel) are taking this issue seriously,” Kirby said in reference to the letter, although he did not provide further details.