The US State Department will not withhold arms from Israel, according to State Department officials, a month after the White House sent a letter to Israel stating the Jewish state had 30 days to improve the humanitarian conditions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip or be subject to an arms embargo.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken seemed to indicate that the requirements had been met. According to a readout of a meeting between Blinken and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, the two “reviewed steps that Israel has taken to improve the dire humanitarian situation inside Gaza,” including a recent Gaza aid package approved by the Israeli cabinet.
The following day at a press briefing, Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson, was pressed for a concrete answer. He stated that Israel had taken “a number of steps to address the measures laid out in the letter,” and as such, “we at this time have not made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of US law.”
When asked if Israel would face any consequences, Patel responded: “I certainly don’t have a change in US policy to announce today.”
