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Washington has apparently sent the government of Israel a warning: let more humanitarian aid into Gaza or face a possible halt to US arms transfers. A leaked letter reveals the Biden administration has given Israel 30 days to comply.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond disastrous. In addition to bombing and relocation over the “year of atrocities,” Palestinians in Gaza face famine because Israeli authorities restrict humanitarian aid, including food and medicines, into the area. Countless civilians, particularly children, have been paying the price.
In short, the Israeli government is using starvation as a weapon of war. This is a war crime.
The International Court of Justice has issued legally binding orders requiring Israel to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance. The government of Israel has ignored these legally binding orders.
The situation on the ground has only been getting worse. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, some 1.4 million people – about 70 per cent of Gaza’s population – did not receive their monthly food rations in September. “Aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months,” just as winter approaches.
What could make matters even worse, Israeli lawmakers and officials are trying to destroy the UN’s most important aid agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere. Proposed Israeli legislation aims at preventing the UN Relief and Works Agency from operating in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The new US warning will hopefully convince Israel to end its unlawful blockade, but it comes far too late, and it’s not enough.
All of Israel’s key allies – including the US, the UK, and Germany – should immediately suspend all military assistance and arms sales to Israel. Likewise, Iran should stop arming Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
These governments all know the real risk that more arms will be used to commit more atrocities and could even make them complicit in war crimes.
