US State Department Claims Israel Did Not Violate Aid Conditions, Pledges Continued Weapons Support
Washington DC —The Biden administration has decided to maintain its military aid to Israel, despite mounting evidence of Israel’s systematic starvation campaign against Gaza, claiming that Israel has not breached American laws on blocking aid supplies. Earlier on the same day, Israel’s Defence Ministry confirmed that it has no immediate plans to send aid to the besieged northern Gaza Strip.
The announcement, which came on the final day of a 30-day deadline set by the White House, has led to accusations of election-driven politicking as President Joe Biden approaches the end of his term.
Aid Deadline Turned Election Ploy?
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s decision to continue military assistance confirms that the Biden administration will not impose restrictions on Israel. This decision directly contradicts previous warnings that the US would reconsider aid if Israel failed to take significant steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to Blinken, Israel had “responded to American requests” and “taken measures to improve the humanitarian situation.”
However, critics see this as little more than political maneuvering. Biden’s 30-day deadline was touted as a significant leverage tool, but its outcome has been met with skepticism. Just days after Trump’s election victory — largely fueled by dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ policies on Palestine — Biden’s move appears to be an attempt to solidify his pro-Israel credentials before leaving office, according to Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the online publication The Electronic Intifada and a policy adviser with Al-Shabaka.
Ground Reality: Aid Blockades and Starvation
On the ground in Gaza, the reality starkly contrasts with Washington’s optimistic statements. Humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, have reported that Israel continues to block aid trucks from entering Gaza, despite them posing no security threat. According to the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, conditions in northern Gaza have reached unimaginable levels of deprivation, with civilians enduring severe shortages of food, water, and medicine.
In a statement, Hamas condemned the Biden administration’s decision, labeling it a clear indication of US complicity in Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians. “The American administration, under Biden’s leadership, has reaffirmed its partnership in Israel’s brutal war of extermination against our people in Gaza,” Hamas said, denouncing claims that Israel had taken measures to improve the humanitarian crisis as “blatant lies contradicted by facts on the ground.”
International relief organizations are sounding the alarm, highlighting that Israel’s actions have left over 800,000 civilians on the brink of starvation. Despite Israel’s supposed “measures” to ease conditions, aid groups report that no significant relief has reached northern Gaza since early October. They argue that the blockade has not only increased the death toll but also exacerbated the suffering of innocent civilians, with children and women being the hardest hit.
Compounding the crisis, an investigation by Haaretz revealed that Israeli military forces are collaborating with armed gangs in Rafah to intercept and steal the few aid convoys permitted to enter Gaza. These gangs extort aid trucks and seize vital supplies, further worsening the plight of civilians in desperate need of assistance.
