A recent report from investigative news outlet ProPublica has revealed that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ignored assessments indicating that Israel had blocked US aid to Gaza earlier this year, presenting a different conclusion to Congress. The leaked memos suggested that Israel was restricting US humanitarian assistance destined for Gaza, which could have triggered a ban on arms transfers to Israel under US law. The State Department’s May report, which ultimately concluded that Israel was not blocking US aid to Gaza, detailed bureaucratic delays and military strikes by Israel that hindered the delivery of aid to Palestinians, leading to dire consequences such as malnutrition and starvation amongst the local population. The report also highlighted Israeli efforts to encourage protests to block aid from reaching Palestinians.
The US provides Israel with significant military aid annually, and this year additional assistance was approved to fund the Israeli government’s Gaza war efforts. The White House had acknowledged Israeli efforts to block US aid to Gaza earlier in the year, with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich openly stating that he was blocking US-provided flour for Gaza. Despite the challenges in delivering aid, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew urged Blinken to accept Israeli assurances that aid was not being blocked and emphasized the need to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. The International Court of Justice has ruled that Gaza is under Israeli occupation, putting the responsibility on Israel to ensure the food and medical supplies of the population as per the Fourth Geneva Convention.
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