US issues 30-day ultimatum to Netanyahu or warns of imminent arms embargo
The United States has issued Israel a 30-day ultimatum, to either increase the amount of aid entering Gaza or face a suspension of arms deliveries.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Lloyd Austin, the Defence Secretary, have written a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu to express their “deep concern” for the “deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
The letter, which amounts to the strongest known written warning from the US to Israel, comes amid a new Israeli Defence Force (IDF) campaign that has expanded into northern Gaza and caused huge numbers of casualties.
“We are writing now to underscore the US government’s deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory,” the letter, shared by an Axios reporter, said.
The letter – the contents of which have now been confirmed by the State Department – says that 1.7million in the enclave is now suffering from “extreme overcrowding” which could result in them contracting a deadly disease.
“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government – including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90 per cent of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and instituting 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,” it states.
It added that US-funded aid supplies continue to be obstructed as they try to enter Gaza, and have demanded that Israel must now allow at least 350 trucks to enter every day.
There are four major crossings in the Gaza Strip – Kerem Shalom, Karni, Erez, and Sufa – but the US have recommended that they open a fifth.
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Israel must also implement “humanitarian pauses” across the strip to enable humanitarian activities, including vaccinations, deliveries and distribution for at least the next four months.
The letter states that despite Netanyahu’s promise in March that it would increase aid, the amount delivered has in fact dropped by 50 per cent, with deliveries in September being “the lowest of any month in the past year”.
Individuals in the humanitarian zone of Mawasi in southern Gaza must also be permitted to move inland ahead of winter, the US demanded.
Additionally, forced evacuations from the north to the south have to stop, humanitarian organisations must be allowed full access to northern Gaza, and Israel must facilitate “rapid implementation of the World Food Programme’s winter and logistics plans to repair roads and install warehouses”.
“Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for US policy… and relevant US law,” the letter said.
Israel has yet to comment on the letter, which was sent to Yoav Gallant, its Defence Minister.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has revealed that the letter was “a private diplomatic communication that we did not intend to make public”.
“Secretary [Blinken] along with Secretary Austin thought it was appropriate to make clear to the government of Israel that there are changes they need to make again to see the level of assistance making it into Gaza comes back up,” he told reporters.