The war against Hamas: The US government faces a deep division over arms sales to Israel and the food crisis in Gaza

The US government must address a deep internal division on whether to certify Israel’s commitment to fully facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and to hand over weapons, US officials told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will visit Israel on Friday, has until Sunday to approve Israel’s position, which was communicated earlier this week to the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, or the United States. will immediately suspend arms transfers to its ally.

Under pressure from Congress, President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum last month requiring recipients of U.S. military assistance to commit to respecting international lawl when using American weapons. These beneficiaries should also commit to facilitating and not hindering the provision of humanitarian aid.

Arms sales would be suspended if Israel does not submit a written commitment to do so in time. While aid remains elusive, malnutrition among Gaza’s children continues to spread.

While all recipients of military assistance must provide such guarantees, Israel is under extraordinary scrutiny five and a half months into the war against Hamas in Gaza – and the ensuing humanitarian crisis.

Nineteen Democratic senators they effectively supported the subordination of military aid to Israel’s commitment. To that end, they co-sponsored an amendment to Biden’s foreign security supplement that the White House ultimately turned into the memo in question.

Moreover, eight Democratic senators They urged Biden to stop supplying offensive weapons to Israel until he eases restrictions on humanitarian aid provided by the United States to Gaza.

In warning the president, the senators said that supplying offensive weapons to Israel violates the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits military support to a country that limits the provision of humanitarian aid.

The deadline comes when Canada became the first Western state in taking the previously unimaginable step of halting arms exports to Israel. Ottawa supplies far fewer weapons to Israel than Washington, but its decision shows how much goals have changed on this issue.

A group of Danish non-governmental organizations said last week they would sue Denmark in a bid to end the country’s arms exports to Israel. They cited concerns about crimes against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

And last month, a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to stop exporting F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing concerns that the parts were being used to violate international law.

Second HaaretzBoth US lawmakers and White House officials warn that a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the city at the southern tip of Gaza, would violate US demands and could have political, diplomatic and legal consequences.