Biden administration says it will not issue an arms embargo against Israel

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.”

He added that Israel still must take “additional steps” to improve the humanitarian conditions in the coastal enclave, echoing Blinken’s earlier conversation, which stated that Israel must ensure “those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

Blinken also reaffirmed America’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel.US President Joe Biden said the same in a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday, saying his administration’s “commitment to Israel is ironclad, and we share a deep friendship.”

President-elect Donald Trump also spoke with Dermer at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The minister reportedly conveyed messages to Trump from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussing Israel’s plans in Gaza and Lebanon as it continues to battle Hamas and Hezbollah amid ongoing tensions with Iran.

Dermer also met with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser.