Blinken Blinks: US Takes Back the Embargo Ultimatum Against Israel

Photo Credit: Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90

1.3 million Gazans fled from Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and Gaza City in northern Gaza to the Egyptian border as of March 8, 2024.

I’ve been waiting to use the fun combo “Blinken Blinks” since the start of the Biden administration, and I finally got my chance, a few days before it was over.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opted to maintain the current level of US military assistance to Israel, despite a deadline set by Washington that expires today, November 13, regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Barak Ravid reported, citing two American officials. The officials noted that Israel has made significant efforts to address US concerns about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. However, they emphasized that Washington expects to see additional measures taken by Israel in the coming days.

Well, in the coming days, Washington will be repainted red, and the Secretary of State will be pro-Israel hawk Marco Rubio.

Some recent history: on October 13, the Biden administration warned Israel that it must replenish the humanitarian aid supplies to northern Gaza after said supplies had dropped to their lowest level since the Americans had come up with the foolish notion that the IDF must provide for its enemy’s well being to make sure they never surrender and to allow Hamas to appropriate and distribute the supplies at exorbitant prices.

The Americans warned that if Israel did not replenish the supplies by November 13, they would embargo much-needed military provisions, including ammunition, even as Israel is in the midst of two ground campaigns, one in Gaza, the other in south Lebanon.

The Political-Security Cabinet gave in and on Sunday ordered an increase in the volume of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, in light of the expiration of the ultimatum set by the United States. The Kissufim crossing, at the central Gaza Strip, was opened for the entry of aid trucks into the Strip for the first time since the expulsion of 2005.

So, Israel met Biden’s demands regarding an increase in the number of trucks, from around ten to 350 a day, but apparently, none of the provisions reached northern Gaza. In northern Gaza, the IDF continues its campaign to clear the entire area from the border down to the Netzarim corridor. At some point, once all the civilians are evacuated from northern Gaza, the IDF will go about eliminating every last Hamas terrorist remaining there, and the way to move some 400,000 Arabs to the center and the south is by starvation. Yes, war is hell.

IT’S ALL SMILES AGAIN OVER AT FOGGY BOTTOM

AP reporter Matt Lee on Tuesday asked the State Dept. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel if Israel was meeting the demands of the ultimatum, seeing as it was about to expire.

Patel responded: “Let me make a couple of points. Over the past 30 days, Israel has taken a number of steps to address the measures laid out in the letter that Secretaries Blinken and Austin sent earlier in October. We continue to be in discussion with our partners in Israel about these steps that they have taken, which they took as a result of US intervention, as well as additional steps that we feel still need to be taken.”

Lee insisted: “You guys, yourselves, set this 30-day deadline. Today is the deadline. Did they meet it or did they not?”

Patel responded: “First, let me just say specifically before I answer your question that we’ve seen some steps being taken over the past 30 days. Specifically, we have seen the reopening of the Erez crossing. We have seen a new crossing at Kissufim open. … We’ve also seen some additional delivery routes open within Gaza, including Bani Suheila Road, expanding the use of the Israeli fence road, as well as repairing the coastal road. We’ve also seen some deliveries resume and restored in the north, first to Gaza City, and in this most recent week to areas surrounding Jabalia. We’ve also seen the expansion of the Mawasi humanitarian zone, and we have seen the institution of periodic operational pauses.”

?הערבים במחנה ג׳בליה מניפים דגל לבן – נחיל של פליטים?
הערבים פרסמו תמונה של נחיל פליטים שמניפים דגל לבן ועוזבים את מחנה ג׳בליה
המחנה נפל, עכשיו הפינוי זה רק שאלה של זמן pic.twitter.com/d1LN3HW6pt

— אור פיאלקוב (@orfialkov) October 21, 2024

To clarify, Gaza City is below the area being essentially annexed by the IDF in the northern Strip, and the aid to Jabalia consisted of ten trucks. The IDF is in the midst of a huge battle to take over Jabalia and bulldoze every last building there. As a result, once the civilians in Jabalia received their care packages, they were all driven south.

Patel added: “But most importantly, we are going to continue to watch how these steps that they’ve taken, how they are being implemented, how they can be continued to be expanded on. And through that, we’re going to continue to assess their compliance with US law.”

Yes, yes, until January 20, 2025, a little over two months from now.

Lee asked, “All right. So essentially, there isn’t going to be any consequence for Israel not meeting the…”

Patel answered: “I certainly don’t have a change in US policy to announce today, Matt. But as you just heard me say, we are constantly going to assess the circumstances on the ground.”

Lee was upset, it was clear he really wanted the ultimatum to turn into an embargo. “Yeah, yeah. But you guys were the ones that gave them the 30-day deadline. It’s hard to see your answers today, such as they are, as anything other than kind of giving them a pass for not meeting the criteria that were laid out in the letter.”

Patel: “Certainly, Matt, I would not view it as giving them a pass. … And as you’ve heard me say, and as you’ve heard Matt and the Secretary say previously, if we don’t see steps being taken, we, of course, will appropriately enforce US law.”

Lee: “But – correct me if I’m wrong – isn’t that what you guys said a month ago?”

Patel: “That is what we said a month ago.”

Lee: “And they have not yet met [US demands], because you say that they have taken some steps, but more needs to be made. In other words, they have not. And you are giving them a pass. There’s no other way to look at it.”

This went on for a while, with both the reporter and the spokesman neglecting to mention the elephant in the room, and by elephant, I mean the emblem of the Republican party, who’s already measuring the drapes as this pointless conversation was going on.

The important takeaway from this is the fact that Blinken and the boys are not going to impose an arms embargo on Israel, the IDF will continue to do the bare minimum to meet US demands about humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the maneuvers to clear northern Gaza completely, turning it into a kill zone for Gaza Arabs, civilian and terrorist alike, continue.