An Israeli soldier in front of a destroyed building in Khan Younis, Gaza, Jan. 27, 2024. (Credit: Nicolas Garcia/AFP)
Weapons in exchange for humanitarian aid is an incongruous formula as the war in Gaza entered its sixth month.
In a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, eight US senators called for a suspension of offensive arms deliveries to Israel until it lifts restrictions on Washington’s aid to the enclave.
Seven elected Democrats, led by Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders, denounced violations of the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits military support from going to any state that restricts the delivery of emergency assistance.
Sanders, known for his left-wing positions, denounced “the possibility of hundreds of thousands of children starving to death,” adding, “The United States of America cannot be complicit in this mass slaughter of children” during CBC’s Face the Nation talk show on Sunday.
Respect for humanitarian law
This initiative is the latest attempt by the “progressive wing” of the Democratic party to dissociate Washington from its Israeli ally in the Gaza war, which has already claimed nearly 31,300 lives, as discontent with Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet continues to grow.
Last week, around 30 House Democrats sent the White House another letter in response to Israel’s repeated threat to carry out a ground invasion of Rafah, where almost 1.5 million displaced persons are focused.
The missive referred to a Feb. 8 presidential memorandum that called on any foreign recipient of military articles or services to provide “credible and reliable written assurances” that they would comply with international humanitarian law.
An unwavering supporter of Israel, the US is opposed to any offensive on Rafah, located on the border with Egypt, without a plan to evacuate civilians. In an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Biden suggested that this was an American “red line,” but his administration retracted his statement.
In the wake of this interview, US officials told Politico on Monday that the US President will indeed consider placing conditions on military exports to Israel if it invades Rafah.
Israel receives around $3.8 billion in defense assistance each year and, after Oct. 7, 2023, the White House requested more than $14 billion in additional military support, which still has to be approved by the House of Representatives.
Rejection of restrictions
It is out of the question for the US to cut defense military exports, particularly to operate the Iron Dome missile defense system. But the world’s leading power imposed restrictions on arms sales to Israel in the past, notably under Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, Haaretz recalled.
Such measures could enable Netanyahu to regain popularity by positioning himself as the champion of Israeli nationalism. They could also facilitate the use of less precise weapons in Gaza, which would run counter to the US objectives of increasing humanitarian aid to the enclave, added the Israeli Daily Newspaper.
Biden had called the idea of placing conditions on military exports a “worthwhile thought” in 2023, but no such decision has been taken. Arms deliveries to Israel have even increased since Oct.7. This is despite the spike in US frustration with Netanyahu and his cabinet, which is the most right-wing in Israel’s history.
Many elected Democrats are also opposed to the idea, even though some of the party’s voters are turning away from Biden — who is running in the November presidential election — because he supported Tel Aviv.
Florida representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz told the Axios website that she was “certain the majority of Congress” would oppose placing conditions on military exports.
As humanitarian aid trucks entered the starving north of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in a first “test” facing the Israeli authorities, Washington can pressure Israel by threatening to stop military support.
“But unless the administration, or any administration, is prepared to end the military support and impose an arms embargo, which no one is contemplating … America’s levers of influence are not as powerful as they may seem,” added Haaretz.
This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translated by Joelle El Khoury.