Anthony Blinken told Israeli leaders “much more must be done” to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians besieged in northern Gaza. A senior Biden administration official said that if action was not taken, there could be consequences under US law.
The US secretary of State met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, as well as Defence Minister Yoav Galant, Strategic Affairs minister Ron Dermer, and senior military officials at a series meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The meetings are part a regional tour, which Washington sees as an opportunity to revive diplomacy following Israel‘s killing last week of Hamas leader Yahya sinwar in Gaza.
Blinken’s account of his face-to-face communication with the Israelis comes amid mounting criticism that the US is failing to stop the killing of civilians in Gaza, because it is unwilling to use its supply of weapons to Israel to exert pressure.
Washington has consistently rejected criticism.
Blinken, according to the official, also pressed Israeli leadership about reports that its military was implementing a “generals’ plans” in northern Gaza. This tactic is described as a mass forced displacement tactic of civilians with a surrender or starve tactic for those who remain.
The official said that the Israelis told him the tactic “absolutely” was not their policy. To which the Americans replied that their Israeli counterparts needed to make this public.
Israel’s offensive in northern Gaza aims to eliminate a Hamas revival.
Blinken’s apparent warning about humanitarian aid follows his letter last week that was co-signed by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and gave the Israeli government thirty days to increase aid into the northern Gaza Strip, or risk having some military aid cut off.
The senior State Department official stated that there was a long discussion about this.
They added: “The [steps] that have been taken so far have not sufficed and we made it clear today that we need to see more.”
“We have seen some early progress. We heard Minister Gallant speak in detail about… the steps he is overseeing so that he can be responsive to the issue, but… this was a central topic of discussion with both the Prime Minister, Minister Dermer, and Minister Gallant,” said the anonymous official.
Aid groups have warned of the dangers of starvation for civilians in northern Gaza due to Israel’s military blockade.
Israel claims its offensive is aimed at Hamas fighters. The US, however, has warned Israel not to attempt to forcibly relocate residents to the southern part of Gaza where 1.7 millions civilians are crammed in a dangerously crowded area, putting them at “lethal” risk of disease.
When asked if Blinken had warned Israel verbally of repercussions for not complying with its demands, an official replied that Blinken had “made it clear” that there were implications under our laws and policies, as well as what those actions should be.
In a statement released by Netanyahu’s office following the meeting, there was no mention made of humanitarian aid. The statement emphasized the “Iranian menace” against Israel, and the need for Israel and the US to “unite” in order to combat it.
Blinken also expressed America’s “deep horror” at what Israel claims was an Iranian assassination against Netanyahu via Hezbollah drone attack on his private residence over the weekend.
Blinken described the incident as “an extremely extreme incident”.
When asked if this account is accurate, the US official replied that Blinken “expressed his concern that it was an extremely serious incident… Exceptional and extreme” is not a phrase that he would normally use.
The official said that the US did not have any opinion on the Iranian involvement claim.
Israel is preparing to launch a retaliatory attack against Iran in response to its ballistic missile attack that took place on Israel on 1 October. This was in response to Israel’s recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The US is trying to get Israel to scale back its response out of fear of escalating regional tensions.
The US official said Blinken also discussed the war between Israel in Lebanon and Hezbollah as part of the “diplomatic push” that the Americans are making to reduce the fighting. However, he did not provide an update on whether or not this had made any progress.