U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ignored assessments by United States government agencies and officials indicating that Israel blocked U.S. aid to Gaza earlier this year, a new report has revealed, with the top U.S. diplomat presenting a different conclusion to Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Investigative news outlet ProPublica reported on Tuesday that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) told the State Department in a late April report that Israel was subjecting US humanitarian aid destined for Gaza to \u201carbitrary denial, restriction and impediments\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ProPublica said that officials in the State Department\u2019s refugee bureau also found in April that \u201cfacts on the ground indicate US humanitarian assistance is being restricted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in May, Blinken delivered a State Department report to Congress with a different conclusion. \u201cWe do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance,\u201d the State Department said in its May 10 assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The leaked memos would have had major implications on US policy had they been adopted by Blinken, including on US weapons shipments to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. provides Israel with at least $3.8 billion in military aid annually, and this year, Biden approved an additional $14 billion in assistance to help fund the Israeli government\u2019s Gaza war efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That support has drawn widespread condemnation and scrutiny as the Gaza war drags on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department\u2019s May report, which ultimately concluded that Israel was not blocking U.S. aid to Gaza, at the same time outlined how Israeli officials had encouraged protests to block the assistance from reaching Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The document also said that Israel implemented \u201cextensive bureaucratic delays\u201d on the delivery of aid and launched military strikes on \u201ccoordinated humanitarian movements and deconflicted humanitarian sites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Israeli military has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza while enforcing a strict siege on the territory that has brought its population to the verge of famine. At least 34 Palestinian children have died of malnutrition this year, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In March, CIA Director Bill Burns finally recognized that Palestinians in Gaza are starving. \u201cThe reality is that there are children who are starving,\u201d Burns told U.S. senators during a briefing. None of the senators reacted to the revelation. The CIA chief shamelessly admitted: \u201cThey\u2019re malnourished as a result of the fact that humanitarian assistance can\u2019t get to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, the White House acknowledged Israeli efforts to block US aid to Gaza, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had publicly stated that he was blocking U.S.-provided flour for Gaza, prompting a White House response. \u201cI wish I could tell you that flour was moving in, but I can\u2019t do that right now,\u201d White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on February 15th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ProPublica reported on Tuesday that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew urged Blinken to accept Israeli assurances that Israel was not blocking aid to Gaza. \u201cNo other nation has ever provided so much humanitarian assistance to their enemies,\u201d Lew told subordinates, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The International Court of Justice has ruled that Gaza is under Israeli occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an occupying power has the \u201cduty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of the population\u201d in the territory it occupies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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