Report: Blinken Lied to Congress About Israel Blocking Gaza Aid
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is facing calls for his resignation, over allegations he ignored the findings of government agencies focused on humanitarian assistance and lied to Congress about Israel's allegedly deliberate Gaza aid blockade....
Facts
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is facing calls for his resignation, over allegations he ignored the findings of government agencies focused on humanitarian assistance and lied to Congress about Israel's allegedly deliberate Gaza aid blockade.[1][2][3]
- The US Agency for International Development and the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration had reportedly told Blinken, along with top diplomats, about allegations concerning Israel's killing of aid workers, razing of agricultural structures, and bombing of medical infrastructure.[1][4]
- However, Blinken told Congress in May that the State Department doesn't 'currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of US humanitarian assistance.'[5][6]
- Under US law, the federal government must halt weapons shipments to countries obstructing the delivery of American humanitarian aid.[1]
- Blinken on Wednesday said that he 'had different assessments from different parts of the State Department,' concluding that 'Israel needed to do a better job on ... humanitarian assistance.'[7]
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — the only Palestinian American in Congress — on Thursday called on Blinken to resign over his rejection of internal government findings. This also comes as the GOP-majority US House Foreign Affairs Committee this week recommended to hold Blinken in contempt over the Afghanistan probe.[8][9][10]
Sources: [1]ProPublica, [2]Al Jazeera (a), [3]Common Dreams, [4]Trtworld, [5]Rolling Stone, [6]Al Jazeera (b), [7]The New Republic, [8]X, [9]Politico and [10]Verity.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The US has worked to support Israel's right to defend itself from terrorist attacks — such as Hamas' massacres on Oct. 7 — while pushing for diplomacy and humanitarian access. It has consistently applied pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and though there's still much work to be done, these efforts have been largely successful.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. ProPublica's report is a damning piece of evidence proving that the US government has armed Israel to the teeth while ignoring its many war crimes, which is a breach of US law. Blinken and Pres. Joe Biden's efforts to shield Israel from any accountability is a shameful reminder that the US will support Israel even as it commits genocide.
