Austin said to warn Katz Israel must show it has improved aid supply to Gazans

US said prepared to go ‘all the way’ with threats to Israel over Gaza humanitarian crisis

TOI

Austin said to warn Katz Israel must show it has improved aid supply to Gazans

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin conveyed a “sharp” message to his new Israeli counterpart Israel Katz during their first phone conversation on Friday, to the effect that Israel risks jeopardizing the ongoing provision of US weaponry for the Gaza war if it does not credibly show that it has improved the supply and distribution of aid to Gazan noncombatants, Channel 12 reports.

The report notes that, in mid-October, Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel in a letter that it had 30 days to implement significant improvements to the humanitarian situation in Gaza or jeopardize the continued supply of US weapons.

The fall in aid supplies, they warned at the time, called into question Israel’s commitment to not restrict the entry of aid into Gaza and that it is using US weapons in line with international law. That written commitment was provided last March in order to ensure Israel’s compliance with a National Security Memorandum (NSM) issued by Biden in February. The memo applies to all recipients of US security assistance.

With the 30-day period expiring this coming week, Austin, according to tonight’s report, urged Katz on Friday to raise the issue before the Israeli cabinet, said Israel needed to maintain what Katz told him was a recent increase in aid, and stressed the need to ensure there is no harm to noncombatants in Gaza war.

Katz reportedly responded that Israel is trying to cooperate on the aid issue, but Hamas keeps stealing aid and selling it for high prices, while Israel wants to be sure it reaches the populace, and that Israel is working with Arab states to help ensure this.

The TV report says Israel believes the US intends to go “all the way” in pressing Israel on this issue, rather than letting it slide because it will be out of office in two months. In practice, the report says, this means that if the US administration is not convinced there has been a dramatic change for the better as regards aid delivery and distribution, there could be a “direct collision” on the issue of arms supplies.

In its broadly warm readout of the Austin-Katz call, the US Defense Department noted that the secretary emphasized “the need to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.”