US warned Israel will be judged on results of Gaza aid decisions

• Published date: 06 April 2024
• Author: TOVAH LAZAROFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"These are positive developments," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, "but the real test is results, and that's what we're looking to see in the coming days and the coming weeks."

He laid a series of litmus tests by which the Biden administration would judge the effectiveness of the security cabinet's decisions.

"Is the aid effectively reaching people who need it throughout Gaza? Are the bottlenecks and other delays at crossings being resolved? Do we have a much better system for deconfliction and coordination so that the humanitarian workers, the folks who are delivering the aid, can do it safely and securely?" he stated as he spoke to reporters in Belgium.

The US will also look at the number of trucks that are entering Gaza on a sustained basis, Blinken said.

Almost "100 percent of the population is acutely food insecure," Blinken explained, adding that "there are indicators of potential famine," so the US will "be looking closely at those to see that they're reversed."

Israel, he stressed, must also do a better job at protecting Palestinian civilians.

"As Israel pursues any military operations against Hamas, it has to prioritize the protection of civilians. It has to make that job number one... Military operations need to be designed around their protection, not the other way around."

He spoke in the aftermath of a stern phone call US President Joe Biden held with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night following last week's accidental IDF killing in Gaza of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen.

The IDF released the result of an initial probe into the incident on Friday and fired two officers. The White House said it had no plans to conduct an independent investigation.

Authorized increased aid

The Prime Minister's Office said late Thursday night that the security cabinet had authorized Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Minister without Portfolio Benny Gantz "to take immediate steps to increase humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip."

"This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the war," the office said.

To help facilitate the delivery of the aid, Israel will temporarily allow goods for Gaza to land at the port in Ashdod, a...