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October 16, 2024
Hi Steve,
Pardon the mid-week interruption. I did not want to wait until Sunday to fill you in on the truth behind the letter on humanitarian aid in Gaza that the State and Defense Departments sent to their counterparts in Israel which was leaked to the press yesterday.
Contrary to what you may have seen on social media, the administration is not cutting off aid to Israel nor will it cut off aid to Israel. It is not threatening an arms embargo. But if reading about it increased your heart rate, I get it. Israel faces significant security challenges on several fronts. It is essential that we continue to support Israel's safety and security. The good news is that the Biden-Harris administration, which has done that as much or more than any previous administration, continues to do that.
The October 13 letter does not cut off any assistance whatsoever. It does not threaten to cut off assistance. Please read it. The facts tell a different story from the misleading headlines and sloppy, incomplete, or biased reporting in some reports about the letter. I'd be concerned too if all I knew was what was in those stories. Here's the truth:
The letter notes existing U.S. legal requirements to ensure recipients of U.S. aid are not impeding the flow of humanitarian aid. The letter says that if the current situation in northern Gaza continues it "may" have implications for U.S. policy and relevant U.S. law. There was a very similar situation in April, and the flow of humanitarian aid improved after a similar notification was provided, as this letter notes. Israel responded at the time by allowing for more aid to get into Gaza, and it appears the same will occur in the next 30 days.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said yesterday, “The letter was not meant as a threat. The letter just simply restates what we made clear to the Israelis back in April in a similar letter, which is, you know, we have to follow the law of the land here.” Kirby noted that the April letter received "a constructive response" from Israel.
An Israeli official stated in response to this letter that the letter "is being thoroughly reviewed by Israeli security officials. Israel takes this matter seriously and intends to address the concerns raised in this letter with our American counterparts." The administration has every expectation that Israel will ensure that aid begins getting into north Gaza and that this issue will be worked out, and it will be.
Nothing in the letter asks Israel to do anything it has not agreed to do in the past. The underlying legal requirements apply to all countries receiving aid from the United States. If there is anything remarkable about the letter, it is that Israel is being given time to get back into compliance without penalty, an opportunity that is not necessarily afforded to other countries.
Also relevant: On Sunday, the Biden-Harris administration announced it was sending 100 troops to Israel to operate a sophisticated missile defense system that the administration provided to Israel in advance of a possible Israeli strike against Iran.
Yesterday, the White House informed Congress that "in recent months, we have adjusted the United States military posture to improve United States force protection and increase support for the defense of Israel. These adjustments include extension of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, along with its destroyer escorts and carrier air wing that is equipped with F-35C Lightning II Fifth Generation Fighters, to replace the previously extended USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. We also have deployed additional destroyers, including some that are ballistic missile defense-capable; the guided missile submarine USS Georgia, the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit, multiple fighter and attack squadrons of Fourth and Fifth Generation Fighters including F-22, F-15E, and F-16, as well as A-10 Attack aircraft; and other forces."
A new report indicates that the $17.9 billion spent by the Biden-Harris administration since Oct. 7, 2023, in inflation-adjusted dollars, is by far the most military aid sent to Israel in one year. While Republicans were blocking emergency aid to Israel for six months, the Biden-Harris administration approved over 100 arms sales to Israel.
The Biden-Harris administration twice defended Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, the first two times in history that U.S. forces have been deployed to directly defend Israel from attack, and as the above indicates, it is preparing to do so again in conjunction with an anticipated Israeli retaliatory strike against Iran in the near future.
Yet some of us seem to think this was all a ruse to lull us into complacency so that the administration could send a letter threatening to take action counter to everything it has done for Israel since October 7. Let's be real. The Biden-Harris administration clearly remains committed to supporting and defending Israel. Nothing has changed, including the current and anticipated flow of military aid to Israel. There is deep concern about the humanitarian situation in north Gaza and by law the administration needed to send this letter to alert the Israelis. We have no reason to believe that Israel will not address these concerns, as it has in the past.
This concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza is consistent with where administration policy has been for the past year. Its policy hasn’t changed. The situation has. Israel can and will remedy it. If you have further questions, chances are that those questions were asked of State Department Spokesperson Matt Miller at yesterday's briefing.
I'll be back Sunday with the regular newsletter. If any questions come up between now and then, please let me know. Sunday's newsletter might be a short one because Thursday and Friday is Sukkot. Chag Sukkot Sameach!
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