Double standards

Weapons to allies and aid to adversaries is self-defeating

One of the more bizarre aspects of the Israel-Hamas war has been the role of the United States (US). As its traditional ally, Washington is providing Israel lethal weapons in its war against Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, in response to growing criticism from top officials and lawmakers against the Israeli Defence Forces’ (IDF’s) attack on civilians in Gaza, it has assumed a decisive role in delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave. Last week, US President Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union address the setting up of a port in Gaza to increase deliveries of humanitarian aid to people in the war-ravaged enclave. In other words, the US is offering more succour to the rising numbers of Palestinian civilians being killed or injured, perhaps by the same weapons Washington is supplying Tel Aviv.

As an ally of Israel, the US makes an annual contribution of about $3.8 billion to Israel’s military budget, and the country has accounted for 68 per cent of Israel’s weapons imports in previous years. Since the war with Hamas broke out on October 7 last year, the US has topped up this military aid by approving more than 100 separate military packages to Israel. This is over and above the $243.5 million the Biden administration approved under the presidential emergency authority and came before Congress for approval. Perhaps the more concerning point about the 100 packages of “Foreign Military Sales” is that they have all been kept under a specific dollar amount that would have required approval from Congress. Though the US State Department is yet to put a figure to the value of weapons transfers to Israel, Western military experts believe that without US support, Israel would not have been able to sustain its campaign in Gaza. Germany, the UK, Canada, Australia, and France are other key suppliers. Last month, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan suspended supplies after an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found merit in some of the petitioner’s (South Africa) claims that rights of Palestinians needed protection under the genocide convention were “plausible”. Italy has also since suspended arms supplies.

So far, a conservative estimate puts the death toll of Palestinian civilians at over 31,000, amid atrocities committed against them, such as IDF troops firing on people lining up for food aid or bombing hospitals. Gaza, according to the UN, is on the brink of famine. In this context, American aid agencies with Israeli assistance have set up a maritime corridor from Cyprus to increase deliveries of humanitarian aid, including food, to the enclave. This is ahead of the floating pier and connecting causeway that the US is building off the coast of Gaza to channel aid, bypassing both the IDF and Hamas. The move is commendable but it begs the obvious question: Why is the US sharpening Israel’s military campaign and providing aid to the people they are attacking? On the Beltway and even among Jewish Americans, questions are being asked as to why the Biden administration has not leveraged its weapons supplies to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dial back attacks on civilians in Gaza. In the absence of political initiatives, these moves appear contradictory and self-defeating for all key players.