Washington,
DC – October 15, 2024
On October 13, 2024, Secretary of State Antony
Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter
to Israel warning that “failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment
to implementing and maintaining [humanitarian measures] may have
implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 and relevant U.S. law.” The
letter demands “urgent and sustained actions by your government this
month” to reverse the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. It calls
for several specific steps, including “rescinding evacuation orders
when there is no operational need” and facilitating a minimum of 350
trucks per day of aid into Gaza through all major crossings. DAWN issues
the following statement in response to the letter: “However
long overdue, this official warning that Israel must stop blocking
humanitarian aid to Gaza or face a suspension of U.S. military aid is an
important and unprecedented signal that Israel has crossed even the
Biden administration’s permissive red lines,” said Sarah Leah Whitson,
DAWN’s executive director. “We now need the Biden administration to show
action, not just words, in enforcing U.S. laws, which prohibit aid to
Israel given not only its relentless obstruction of humanitarian relief
but deliberate starvation and incessant bombardment of Gaza’s
civilians.” “The
language in this letter acknowledges the ethnic cleansing of
Palestinians from northern Gaza but stops short of naming it,” said Raed
Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director. “In the letter, the Secretaries write
that evacuation orders have ‘forced 1.7 million people into a narrow
coastal zone,’ resulting in extreme overcrowding and high risks of
lethal contagion. While the letter demands Israel rescind evacuation
orders, it is time for the U.S. to enforce these demands immediately
rather than issuing vague deadlines. The U.S. must move beyond warnings
and act decisively to end its complicity in these atrocities.” | 
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