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US President Joe Biden’s administration wrote a letter to the Israeli government demanding action on the humanitarian situation in Gaza because aid has “fallen by over 50% from where it was at its peak,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
Israel increased the level of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza after calls from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April, but the levels have “not been sustained” over the last few months, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday, characterizing the current levels as “very, very low.”
The US held intense talks with Israel, where it conveyed its concerns about aid, Miller said, but “ultimately we did not see our concerns addressed,” which prompted the letter.
Unclear on possible consequences: Miller would not say what the potential consequences would be if Israel did not comply — other than to say there are implications in US law.
In May, the Biden administration had issued a report to Congress finding that Israel had not violated international law in its war in Gaza, Miller said, noting that Blinken’s assessment was “based on the changes that we had seen them put into place and the increased levels of humanitarian assistance.”
However, those increased levels need to be sustained, he added. The US wanted to make clear to Israel which changes needed to be made, before making a change to the assessment overnight, which could trigger changes in US policy.
Miller said the 30-day deadline was not influenced by the upcoming November presidential election.
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