The administration of US President Joe Biden gave Israel until mid-March to sign a letter, which Washington submitted on Tuesday, containing assurances that Israel will adhere to international law while using US weapons and allowing humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Axios reported that these assurances became a condition under a memorandum issued earlier this month by the Biden administration.
Although it does not include only Israel, the new policy came after some Democratic senators expressed concern about the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The website said that if confirmations are not provided by the deadline, the transfer of American weapons to Israel will be stopped.
The National Security Memorandum, published on February 8, states that before any country supplies US weapons, it must give the United States “credible written assurances” that it will use the weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law.
It also affirms that countries that use American weapons in conflict zones need to provide written and reliable assurances that facilitate and do not restrict or obstruct, directly or indirectly, the delivery of US humanitarian assistance and international efforts supported by the US government to provide humanitarian assistance.
Countries involved in the conflicts, such as Israel, have 45 days from the day the memorandum was issued to submit written confirmations and have them authenticated by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. While other countries have 180 days.
The memorandum requires the administration to report annually to Congress on whether countries comply with international law.
A senior Israeli official told the site that the US request is to obtain written confirmations by mid-March so that Blinken can ratify them by the end of the month.
An American official told the website that similar letters had been submitted in recent days to several other countries that use American weapons.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense declined to comment to the website.
