Israel Deliberately Blocked Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, Two Government Bodies Concluded. Antony Blinken Disagreed.
ProPublicaSep 27
Report: Blinken Lied to Congress About Israel Blocking Gaza Aid
Above: Pres. Joe Biden (C) presides over a cabinet meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (R) at the White House on Sept. 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The 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.
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.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
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
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.