US to continue arms support for Israel following 'a number of steps' to address concerns of Gaza aid
Despite passing of 30-day deadline, State Department says ‘we’ve seen progress’
In a press briefing on Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the Biden administration will not withhold weapons shipments to Israel despite the passing of a 30-day deadline, set by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in a letter to former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
During the briefing, Patel said that “over the past 30 days, Israel has taken a number of steps to address the measures laid out in the letter that Secretaries Blinken and Austin sent earlier in October.”
He said the U.S. will continue discussions “with our partners in Israel about these steps that they have taken, which they took as a result of U.S. intervention, as well as additional steps that we feel that still need to be taken.”
Despite mentioning additional steps, the spokesman noted that the government has not “made an assessment that… the Israelis are in violation of US law.”
“We’re going to continue to watch how these steps that they’ve taken...are being implemented,” Patel stated. “We’ve seen some progress being made. We would like to see some more changes happen. We believe that had it not been for U.S. intervention these changes may not have ever taken place. But most importantly, we want to see continued progress, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Among the steps that Israel has taken in the last 30 days, Patel specifically mentioned: the reopening of the Erez Crossing into northern Gaza; the reopening the Kissufim Crossing into central Gaza, which has been closed since the 2005 disengagement; the waiving of certain customs requirements that aid organizations had complained about; resuming and restoring aid deliveries in northern Gaza; expanding al-Mawasi humanitarian zone; and the institution of periodic humanitarian pauses.
Patel also said that the Biden administration believes the only solution to “alleviating the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza” is to end the war. He said the Biden administration is “going to continue to work to achieve that.”
Defense officials have warned that additional U.S. restrictions on the supply of weapons to Israel could have a severe impact on Israel’s war efforts, especially in the event of future escalations by Iran or Iranian-backed proxies.
With less than three months remaining in Biden's term and a dramatic shift in policy anticipated under the incoming Trump administration, it is unclear whether the White House will be able to compel Israel to make significant changes to its Gaza policies.
While aid organizations have warned of declining aid going into the northern Gaza Strip, the UN has admitted that the population of northern Gaza has shrunk dramatically, as many residents have fled the area following IDF calls to evacuate.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
