If the required assurances are not provided by the deadline, the shipment of American armaments to Israel will be halted.
A national security directive, released on February 8, stipulates that before providing armaments, the US must obtain “credible and explicit written commitments” ensuring that the nation will deploy said armaments in accordance with international humanitarian laws.
Furthermore, it emphasizes that any nation using American armaments in areas of conflict should furnish similar guarantees assuring that they will “facilitate the transit or delivery of US aid and international humanitarian relief efforts backed by the United States, and will not capriciously impede, constrain, or otherwise obstruct them, either directly or indirectly”.
Nations embroiled in conflicts, like Israel, have a period of 45 days from the unveiling of the directive to provide written assurances and have them sanctioned by Secretary of State Tony Blinken. Other nations have a grace period of 180 days. The directive mandates the Executive branch to present an annual report to Congress assessing compliance of nations with international regulations.
On February 11, subsequent to the announcement of the directive, The Washington Post, citing undisclosed sources, revealed that Biden and his administration reacted with ire when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a recent proposition from Hamas, the Palestinian group, to declare a temporary ceasefire and release captives in the Gaza Strip. Several hours later, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned the Israeli operation due to the significant civilian casualties in the region, aid restrictions, and the provocative rhetoric of Netanyahu and his ministers, which, according to him, has sparked “deep apprehension” within the United States. A spokesperson for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, remarked that the forthcoming Israeli maneuver in Rafah “would be catastrophic”, and Washington would oppose it.