October 16, 2024- Americans for Peace Now welcomes the recent letter from the Biden administration to the Israeli government, emphasizing the urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza within the next 30 days. But it is not enough.

The government of Israel has been arbitrarily impeding humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip for over a year, in violation of both Section 620I of the US Foreign Assistance Act and the Biden administration’s own National Security Memorandum 20. These actions not only exacerbate the suffering of civilians but also undermine US commitments to human rights and international law.

It is time for the Biden administration to translate its strong language into meaningful action. We urge the administration to impose real consequences for these violations, rather than allowing a cycle of statements to be followed by inaction.

Americans for Peace Now President and CEO Hadar Susskind said: "The Biden administration is well aware of the pervasive violations of US and international humanitarian law from Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip. They have issued numerous warnings, detailed violations in previous reports, and have gone so far as to build a temporary port to circumvent the arbitrary restrictions on humanitarian aid imposed by the Israeli military. It’s no surprise that without real consequences, the warnings from our government have not been heeded. Now is the time for the Biden Administration to follow through and finally ensure US military assistance is only used in accordance with US laws.”