A group of White House staff wrote a letter to President Biden, demanding that the US administration halt military aid to Israel.
A group of White House staff sent a letter to US President Joe Biden, calling for an end to military aid to Israel. This letter, first reported by the American magazine Politico, drew attention as a new example of the reactions some in the US administration have to policies towards Israel. The content of the letter raises an important question mark about President Biden’s support for Israel and whether this support will continue.
The US administration, which has not changed its policy towards Israel to date, has now been called upon by approximately 20 active duty White House staff to cut military aid to Israel.
In the letter, the White House staff, whose names were not disclosed, requested action be taken in accordance with the letter sent to Israel on October 13, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, requesting a concrete increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza within 30 days.
White House officials noted that US ministers had stated in the letter that some military aid could be at risk if Israel did not take steps in this direction, and pointed out that Israel had not taken any steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Emphasizing that Israel ignored the US call, the letter called on the Biden administration to stop military aid to Israel and take concrete steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“Your time to do the right thing is running out, but decisive action could save many precious lives over the next two months,” the White House staff wrote, according to Politico.
In a letter sent to Israel on October 13, signed by Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin, Israel was called upon to take concrete steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza within 30 days, and it was stated that otherwise some US military aid to Israel could be suspended.
A month after the letter, US State Department officials announced that Israel had taken some concrete steps regarding humanitarian aid and that therefore there was no question of suspending military aid to Israel at the moment.
According to Anadolu, That includes sales of Joint Direct Attack Munitions worth $262 million, more than $800 million in 120mm tank and high explosive mortar rounds, over half a billion dollars of military tactical vehicles, and up to 50 new F-15IA fighter jets and 25 upgrade kits worth $18.82 billion.
“Reliable human rights monitors have rigorously documented numerous incidents involving these systems leading to unacceptable civilian death and harm,” Sanders’ office said in a September statement.
“The Administration’s own report pursuant to National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) concluded that these weapons ‘have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,'” it added.
