A large group of Congress members is calling on the Biden administration to reconsider its aid to Israel, arguing that there is a credible case that the US partner is knowingly withholding US aid to Palestinian citizens in violation of federal law.
Alliance of 88 Democratic members on Friday wrote Arguing at the White House that Israel’s “sanctions on US-supported humanitarian aid efforts have contributed to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster for Palestinian civilians and credible reports of famine in parts of Gaza.”
It is argued in the letter America’s support to Israel There should not be “blank checks”, and federal law under Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act prohibits the US from directly providing security assistance to countries that block the delivery of US humanitarian assistance.
“Make clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that so long as Israel directly or indirectly restricts access to humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, the Israeli government will risk its eligibility for further offensive security assistance from the United States,” the lawmakers wrote. Has been.”
Independent The White House has been contacted for comment.
Humanitarian officials have been warning for months that a ban on international aid to the besieged Gaza Strip would have devastating consequences.
“This is horrifying,” said Cindy McCain, director of the U.N. World Food Program. meet the Press in an interview air intake on Sunday. “There is famine in the north – complete famine – and it is moving towards the south.”
According to the US humanitarian agency USAIDAcute malnutrition among children under 5 has increased nearly 30-fold since the beginning of the war, and the few remaining medical facilities in Gaza that have not been bombed by Israel are filled with children seeking treatment for the condition. Have happened.
Israel has insisted that it is not unduly restricting the flow of aid.
It has also accused the United Nations of failing to effectively distribute aid and alleged that Hamas and other terrorist groups have looted supplies meant for civilians.
A government official said, “Israel continues to make significant efforts to find additional solutions to facilitate the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip and especially to the north.” Said On Saturday, when he was asked about Israel’s aid policies.
In Gaza, there are severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods even outside of wartime, and the war has further disrupted the delivery of key supplies.
For the first three weeks of the Israel–Hamas war, no aid trucks were allowed to enter Gaza, and Deliveries are still not even half of pre-war levelsEven though Israel recently reopened the Erez border crossing, and the US is on work on a new marine aid The route is scheduled to open in May.
International observers argue that Israel has placed an unnecessary burden on the delivery of food and other supplies with excessive inspection of aid shipments.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, “The main barriers are arbitrary refusals by the Israeli government and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow open windows in daylight.” wrote In a March letter to the UK Parliament.
Others have gone even further than the US congressional delegation, suggesting that Israeli practices constitute war crimes.
According to UN Human Rights, “The extent of Israel’s continued restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza, as well as the manner in which it continues hostilities, may amount to using starvation as a method of war, a War is a crime.” Chief Volker Turk said in a statement in March.
Humanitarian access has emerged as a key issue in the Biden administration’s significant support for Israel.
In April, furious Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu The deadly Israeli military attack on seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza was “unacceptable”.
The White House warned that future US policy will depend on Israel announcing a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian damage, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.