US gives Israel a ‘failing’ rating on improving aid provided to Gaza so far

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is stepping up its criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline approaches for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk possible restrictions on military aid.

The administration also condemns recent violence against Palestinians by extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank and says those responsible must be held accountable.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday gave Israel a “failing” rating for meeting the conditions for improved aid deliveries to Gaza set out in a letter last month from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to senior Israeli officials. . .

He said there are still roughly nine days until the deadline, but the limited progress so far is insufficient.

“As of today, the situation has not reversed significantly,” Miller told reporters. “We have seen increases in some metrics. However, when you look at the recommendations made in the letter, you will see that they have not been met.”

One day before the election, the Biden administration addressed its close ally; Support for Israel is an important issue for many voters, and the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians is also a factor for many in the race. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are running for Muslim and Arab American voters and Jewish voters in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Austin and Blinken’s mid-October letter stated, among other conditions, that Israel would allow at least 350 trucks a day carrying desperately needed food and other supplies for Palestinians besieged by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas. It was stated that he had to give According to the latest UN figures, as of the end of October, an average of 71 trucks were entering Gaza per day.

“The results are not good enough today,” Miller said. “They have absolutely no pass. … They failed to implement everything we suggested. However, we are not yet at the end of the 30-day period.”

When asked what the United States would do when the deadline expires next week, he didn’t just say “I’ll follow the law.”

Similarly, Austin told reporters Monday that he emphasized “how important it is to ensure that humanitarian aid flows and flows more quickly into Gaza” in talks with his Israeli counterpart, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

The Israeli military unit responsible for humanitarian aid to Gaza, known as COGAT, said it evacuated 72 patients from hospitals in northern Gaza to other medical facilities on Monday and brought units of fuel, food, water and blood, as well as medical supplies.

“The entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza, especially children, is at risk of dying from disease, famine and ongoing bombardments,” the head of UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said over the weekend.

Miller also said the United States was investigating the Israeli government’s decision to end an agreement that facilitated the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, as the main aid provider in Gaza.

This follows the passage of Israeli laws last week to sever ties with UNRWA, a move that Blinken and Austin opposed in their letter.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it had notified the UN of the cancellation of a 1967 agreement that facilitated UNRWA’s work. He said UNRWA was “part of the problem in the Gaza Strip, not part of the solution.”

Israel claims UNRWA was infiltrated by Hamas, but the organization denies this and says it has taken measures to ensure its neutrality.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that UNRWA is vital and there is no alternative to its work in the Palestinian territories, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Miller also said the United States is “deeply concerned” by the recent escalation of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank; this included setting fire to several cars overnight just a few kilometers (miles) from the Palestinian Authority headquarters. Attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives, livestock and other property.

“These acts of violence cause intense human suffering to Palestinians and threaten the security of Israel,” Miller said. “It is critical that the Israeli government deters settler extremism and takes measures to protect all communities from harm, in line with its international obligations.”

He noted that the United States has imposed sanctions against Israeli groups and individuals involved in violence against Palestinian civilians since the beginning of the year, and warned that more would follow.