Israel, US threaten arms embargo due to humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The The United States has reportedly threatened to impose an arms embargo on Israel if a solution to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is not found within a month. This was revealed by the Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, which cites a letter with the request sent by the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to Israeli ministers Yoav Gallant and Ron Dermer. “Failure to implement these measures could have consequences on US policy”, the two ministers would have clarified, expressing deep concern about the “deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza in recent weeks”.

Blinken and Austin would have underlined that, after the promises made in March by the Netanyahu government, the least amount of aid entered the Strip in September. “To reverse the negative trend, Israel must, in accordance with its promises, take concrete measures within 30 days,” they would point out.

The position of Italy

Italy’s position was illustrated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking in response to the Senate after the debate on her communications ahead of the European Council. “After the start of Israeli operations in Gaza the government immediately suspended the granting of any new export licenses for arms materials to Israel, pursuant to Law 185 of 1990, therefore all contracts signed after October 7 were not found application – said the Prime Minister – The export licenses to Israel which had instead been authorized before 7 October were all analyzed case by case by the competent authority which is the Uama at the Farnesina, clearly applying the Italian legislation, the European legislation and international law”.

“I want to remind you – added Meloni – also in relation to a debate which became very lively in the aftermath of President Macron’s declarations, that the Italian position, i.e. the complete block of all new export licences, is much more stringent, much more restrictive than that applied by our other reference partners, than that applied by France, than that applied by Germany, than that applied by the United Kingdom”, pointed out the leader of Fratelli d’Italia.