The Biden administration said Tuesday it will not withhold military assistance to Israel after the Jewish state was put on notice regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The decision follows an October 13 warning from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Llyod Austin threatening to suspend weapons shipments to the IDF unless efforts to distribute aid to Palestinian civilians in the embattled coastal enclave were improved.
The two cabinet officials gave Israeli authorities 30 days to comply with their request, indicating they could apply the Leahy Act, which prohibits arms transfers to foreign security forces designated as committing “a gross violation of human rights.”
State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel acknowledged to reporters on Tuesday that Jerusalem had implemented measures to address Washington’s demands, before confirming “we haven't made an assessment that Israel is in violation of U.S. law."
Over the past month, the IDF has created new border crossings and transport routes for supply trucks, lifted customs restrictions on certain essential materials, expanded the Muwasi demilitarized zone, and resumed food and medicine deliveries to northern Gaza.
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