From the Liveblog of
Friday, November 15, 2024
Top Biden aide says Israel sent formal response to US letter on Gaza aid demands
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reveals that Israel has submitted a formal response to a letter sent by the Biden administration on October 13 urging Jerusalem to take a series of steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or risk being found in violation of US law, which bars the transfer of offensive weapons to countries that block aid from reaching civilians.
As the deadline expired on Tuesday, the Biden administration announced that Israel made sufficient progress in addressing many of the demands outlined in the letter, keeping it in compliance with US law.
Sullivan, however, is the first to reveal — during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route with US President Joe Biden to Peru — that Israel sent a formal response to the letter, which ostensibly laid out the steps Israel has taken and plans to take. The response will likely be used by the Biden administration to adjudicate Israel’s compliance with US law moving forward.
