US President Joe Biden issued a memorandum setting conditions on aid to countries that receive US military aid, including Israel.
Biden’s memorandum sets out standards that countries receiving US weapons must adhere to, and for the first time, he asks the administration to submit an annual report to Congress on whether countries meet the requirements.
The national security memo comes after prominent Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and whether the country, which has received hundreds of millions of dollars worth of American weapons, has complied with international law.
Nearly half of Senate Democrats supported a measure that would ensure Israel and other countries are held accountable for meeting those standards.
The memorandum does not include new guidelines or conditions, but instead calls on the State Department to obtain written assurances from countries receiving US weapons that they will adhere to current US standards.
These include adherence to international law and facilitating the transfer of US humanitarian aid.
The memorandum includes an enforcement mechanism of sorts, whereby the president must take action if the Secretary of State informs him that a country is not complying.
This measure may include suspending military aid, but it may also be a less radical step.
The memorandum comes as the Senate began voting on a $95 billion foreign aid package on Thursday, which includes $14 billion in aid to Israel, in addition to money for Ukraine and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
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