Washington, D.C. – A group of 17 Democratic senators is urging the Biden administration to reject Israel’s claims that it is not violating international law by restricting humanitarian aid. At the center of the growing debate in Washington is whether the United States should suspend arms transfers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The State Department recently received written assurances from Israel that its use of U.S.-supplied weapons during the Gaza war complied with international and U.S. laws, including the provision of sufficient aid.
The written assurances were in response to a national security memorandum issued by President Biden in February. This memorandum laid out the standards that countries receiving U.S. weapons must adhere to and established a timeline for responses. The secretaries of State and Defense have 45 days to assess the assurances and recommend whether remedial action, such as suspending arms supplies, should be taken.
However, the new reporting and assessment requirements have caused confusion. Some aid organizations and lawmakers interpret the deadline for receiving assurances as also being the deadline for a presidential decision on withholding arms from Israel and other countries involved in armed conflict.
The State Department is currently evaluating the credibility and reliability of Israel’s assurances. While Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the information provided by Israel was credible and reliable, other U.S. officials have contradicted these assertions. The complete assessment of credibility is not expected until May 8, when the State Department is due to report its findings to Congress.
Critics of the administration’s Israel policy are calling for immediate action. Human Rights Watch and Oxfam have already urged the Biden administration to reject any Israeli assurances and suspend arms transfers. They claim that Israel has violated international humanitarian law, restricted humanitarian aid, and deprived the civilian population of critical services. The Democratic senators, including Chris Van Hollen, Dick Durbin, and Elizabeth Warren, have also called on the State Department to reject Israel’s assurances due to their excessively burdensome restrictions on aid flow.
The Biden administration faces a challenging balancing act between Israel’s right to self-defense and eliminating Hamas, and its concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Following a deadly incident involving a humanitarian aid convoy, the administration has sought a weeks-long ceasefire to allow for increased aid delivery without stopping weapons transfers. However, critics argue that this approach fails to address the dire humanitarian situation and is enabling a famine.
The outcome of Secretary Blinken’s determination will be significant and could impact global perceptions of acceptable barriers to humanitarian assistance. Democrats and Republicans in Congress hold differing views on the issue, with some Republicans asserting Israel’s right to defend itself against the terrorist threat posed by Hamas.
As the debate continues, the Biden administration must navigate complex political considerations while also addressing the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The determination of Israel’s compliance with international law will have far-reaching implications for U.S.-Israel relations and the ongoing conflict in the region.