Report: PM dragging feet on providing written assurance to US that weapons being used per int’l law

Representatives from Israel’s security establishment urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Thursday war cabinet meeting to sign onto a letter providing assurances to Washington that Israel will use US weaponry in accordance with international law and will not block US-backed humanitarian aid into Gaza, the Walla news site reports.

The Biden administration asked Israel to sign the letter two weeks ago in accordance with a White House memo adopted on February 8, which instituted a new policy whereby countries that receive security aid have to provide written assurances that they will use it in line with international law. All aid recipients were already required to adhere to this stipulation, though, the written commitment was new.

The memo states that the White House has 180 days to notify Congress that countries are abiding by this new condition, but that timeline shrinks to 45 days when it comes to aid recipients engaged in active conflict.

Because the administration has until March 25 to notify Congress, it is seeking the signed Israeli letter in the coming week, Walla reports, adding that aid will be suspended if the letter isn’t received.

The Israeli security establishment representatives during the war cabinet meeting that failure to sign the letter soon would turn a technical matter — given that Israel already is required to abide by international law — into a diplomatic incident, Walla says.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded by offering to sign the letter himself, but Netanyahu held off on making a decision, requesting an additional consultation on the matter before he’ll likely make a decision on Sunday, according to the report.