US takes back Israel weapons-embargo threat

(MENAFN) The US State Department has walked back its earlier threat to withhold arms shipments to Israel, despite the country not fully meeting the conditions outlined in a letter from US officials last month. The letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel that failure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days would result in a cessation of weapons supplies, in line with US law prohibiting arms transfers to countries obstructing aid to civilians.

While Israel has made some progress in addressing the measures outlined in the letter, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel stated on Wednesday that the US had not concluded that Israel was violating US law. However, a report from a coalition of aid organizations indicated that Israel had only partially met four of the 19 conditions, with daily truck deliveries to Gaza averaging just 42—far below the 350 required by the letter. Additionally, evacuation orders continued to be issued in Gaza, no new crossing point had been opened, and UNRWA activities remained banned.

Israel's military aid agency, COGAT, responded by pointing to a backlog of 900 trucks carrying aid to Gaza, suggesting that humanitarian groups should focus on distributing the aid already available. Despite the partial fulfillment of the conditions, the US is continuing its arms supplies to Israel, which has long been its largest military recipient. This comes as several countries, including Canada, Italy, France, and the UK, have suspended arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

MENAFN14112024000045015687ID1108886018