Biden Admin Gives Israel 30 Days to Improve Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza

The Biden administration sent Israel a letter on Sunday demanding it boost humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza within 30 days, or risk having U.S. military aid cut off.

The Details: Jointly written by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the letter was addressed to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

Key Passage: “We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government - including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90% 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.”

For Context: The letter claims that the amount of aid delivered to Gaza since this spring has decreased by over 50%, with September seeing the “lowest of any month during the past year.” It adds, “Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 and relevant U.S. law.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum noted that Israel has denied it’s impeding aid deliveries. CNN (Lean Left bias) prominently noted that the 30-day deadline “falls after the US presidential election on November 5.”