US warns Israel of cutting military aid over Gaza situation: What changes US wants, why now

What US law is Israel potentially violating? How much aid does the US give to Israel, and how does it benefit the superpower? We explain.

The US has told Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or face the risk of curtailed military aid. In a letter addressed to Yoav Gallant, Israel’s minister of defence, and Ron Dermer, the minister of strategic affairs, the US has asked Israel to implement a series of moves in 30 days, including easing the movement of relief materials into Gaza and not forcefully evacuating civilians from north to south Gaza. The letter is signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“To reverse the downward humanitarian trajectory and consistent with its assurances to us, Israel must, starting now and within 30 days, act on the following concrete measures. Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have Implications for U.S. policy under NSM-20 and relevant US law,” the letter says.

Why has the US warned Israel now, and what measures has it asked the Jewish nation to implement? What is NSM 20? And how much aid does the US actually give to Israel? We explain.

The US is increasingly coming under fire for its unstinting support to Israel, as condemnation grows against the dire situation in Gaza and now Lebanon. Last week, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged the international community to stop selling arms to Israel.

Within the US too, the government is facing pressure to stop sending bombs that are being dropped over civilian buildings and hospitals.

Earlier in May, to dissuade Israel from launching a ground offensive in Rafah, US President Joe Biden had suspended a consignment of bombs to the country. However, weapons supply was soon resumed amid backlash from Republicans.

In the current case too, while the letter is strongly worded, it was sent the same day the US announced it was sending its advanced THAAD missile defence system to Israel.

Also in Explained | What is THAAD, which US is sending to Israel; why this is significant

What the letter says

The letter expresses concern over the situation in Gaza and urges Israel to take several steps.

“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government — including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and instituting new vetting and onerous liability and customs requirements for humanitarian staff and shipments — together with increased lawlessness and looting — are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza,” it says.

Dual use articles are those that can have both civilian and military uses.

The new customs requirements are for UN-chartered trucks carrying aid to Gaza from Jordan. These trucks have to cross Israel checkpoints, and the individuals sending the aid are now required to take liability for any false information about a particular shipment.

The letter asks Israel to, ahead of winter, enable “a minimum of 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza”; institute “adequate humanitarian pauses across Gaza as necessary to enable humanitarian activities, including vaccinations, deliveries, and distribution, for at least the next four months”; allow “people in Muwasi and the humanitarian zone to move inland before winter”; and reaffirm “that there will be no Israeli government policy of forced evacuation of civilians from northern to southern Gaza”, among other steps.

What US law could Israeli actions be potentially violating?

The letter mentions that Israel’s actions could have “implications for US policy under NSM 20”. According to the think tank Rand Corporation, the National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) “requires that recipients of US defense articles provide “credible and reliable written assurances” that they will use the weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law and international law as well as promise not to impede the delivery of humanitarian assistance when such weapons are being used in armed conflict.”

How much aid does the US send to Israel?

Israel has received more US aid, including military aid, since its creation, than any other country in the world.

While the US government has not officially announced how much military aid it has sent to Israel after the Gaza war began last year, according to The Washington Post, “In an estimate released earlier this month, before the deployment of the THAAD system, Brown University’s Costs of War project said the cost of additional US operations in the Middle East since last October was $4.86 billion.”

A Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) article from May, meanwhile, says that “since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas on October 7, 2023, the United States has enacted legislation providing at least $12.5 billion in military aid to Israel.”

Before the war, according to USA Facts, “Between 1951 and 2022, Israel received $225.2 billion in US military aid, adjusted for inflation, which is approximately 71% of its aid from all sources. Since 2000, over 86% of annual American aid to Israel has funded military efforts.”

Crucially, the benefits of the aid are not one-sided — the US profits too. The bulk of the money is given under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, under which Israel must use the funds to buy US military equipment and services. The CFR article notes that aid to Israel acts “primarily as a guaranteed revenue stream for US defence contractors.”

This, of course, is apart from the strategic benefits the US gets from having a staunch ally in the crucial Middle East region.