US decides to continue military aid to Israel

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is said to have decided not to change its military aid policy to Israel at the present time.

According to Axios on October 12, citing two anonymous US officials, in addition to deciding to continue sending military aid to Israel, Washington also wants to see Tel Aviv take more steps to resolve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The information was released shortly after US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on November 12 that Israel had taken steps to address aid requests and that Washington would continue to assess the situation. According to Al Arabiya TV channel, Mr. Patel said that Israel had taken a number of actions such as reopening the Erez border crossing, waiving some customs requirements and opening more delivery routes into Gaza.

People in the northern Gaza Strip move after an emergency evacuation order by the Israeli army on November 12, 2024.

Previously, the administration of US President Joe Biden asked Israel to take measures to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza by November 13, or face the risk of having some military aid cut by the US.

However, Reuters quoted aid groups as saying that Israel had failed to meet a series of US demands to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza before the November 13 deadline.

According to a 19-page report by eight aid groups including Oxfam (Kenya), Save the Children (UK) and the Norwegian Refugee Council, Israel has not only failed to meet the US criteria for supporting humanitarian efforts, but has also taken actions that have significantly worsened the situation on the ground, especially in northern Gaza.

Over the past month, Israeli forces have reportedly pushed deeper into the northern part of the narrow strip, surrounding hospitals and shelters and triggering new evacuation orders in an operation the military says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping there.

Speaking before the United Nations Security Council on November 12, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield stressed that Israel must not take actions that force evacuations or cause famine in Gaza, and warned that such actions would have serious consequences under US and international law.

“Thanks to the US intervention, Israel has taken some important steps towards resolving the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories. However, Israel must ensure that these actions are fully implemented and that improvements are sustained over time,” added Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Israel said on November 11 that it had met most of the US demands. Some other measures were still being discussed because of security concerns, Reuters reported, citing an Israeli official. The Israeli military also said on November 12 that hundreds of food and water packages had been sent to northern Gaza areas.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-quyet-dinh-tiep-tuc-vien-tro-quan-su-cho-israel-185241113071351819.htm