EDITORIAL: In a joint letter to their Israeli counterparts US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have called for “urgent and sustained actions” to “reverse the trajectory” of deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The letter leaked on Tuesday also sets out specific steps Israel must take within 30 days, such as enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter the besieged enclave per day, instituting pauses in fighting (incessant bombings) to allow aid delivery, and rescinding evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians when there is “no operational need.” Failure to do so could impact US policy, warned the letter. It also cited the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits military aid to countries that impede delivery of humanitarian assistance.
However, like the Biden administration’s previous threat to withhold military supplies to Israel, non-compliance with this one will have no consequences.
The humanitarian catastrophe is of least concern to American leaders who in the first place have helped Tel Aviv to create it with supplies of advanced armaments, financial and diplomatic support in blatant violation of international humanitarian law, Geneva Convention on genocide and, as the letter mentions, the US’ own law. So, why worry about it now?
An obvious reason is that although Congress stands firmly behind the Jewish state, unease is growing among liberal members of the Democratic Party over the genocide in Gaza that has also prompted mass protests across the country. With presidential election less than four weeks away Democratic strategists apprehend this would affect their candidate Kamala Harris’ electoral prospects.
Then there are angry Arab and other Muslim Americans. In the last election they had overwhelmingly backed Joe Biden, but now are opposed to his party for assisting Israel in what it is doing to the Palestinians.
Whilst Harris and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump are running neck and neck in the electoral race, the Arab American Political Action Committee, usually expected to favour Democrats, has announced it will not endorse either of them due to their “blind support” for Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon.
Another consideration behind the letter is to win over uncommitted voters in swing states where quite a few people are said to disapprove Washington’s policy vis-a-vis Tel Aviv’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Yet the same day the letter appeared in public, Biden administration announced its decision to send THAAD anti-missile batteries to Israel along with deployment of American soldiers to operate them. Meant to further fortify Israel’s formidable military machine, the move will only encourage Israel to carry on committing genocide in Gaza and a similar assault on Lebanon.
It will also bolster Israel’s confidence as it itches to ignite a wider conflict in the region. This holds serious ramifications for all involved. Iran has already warned that the US is putting the lives of its troops (in the wider region) “at risk by deploying them to operate US missiles system in Israel.” The lame duck US president is hurtling the entire Middle East region towards an all-out war.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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