October 16, 2024 — New York, NY
American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly believes that it is harmful for disagreements between the United States and Israel, two close allies, to be discussed in the public eye, and is engaging with high-level officials in both governments regarding the humanitarian aid situation in the Gaza Strip. It is clear that Israel is facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza. Ensuring that aid continues to reach Palestinian civilians is critical.
We expect the U.S. to make clear it has no intention to decrease its support for Israel. AJC strongly opposes any decrease in U.S. military assistance to Israel, or the threat thereof, especially as it defends itself against Hamas and other terror organizations. Close cooperation between the U.S. and Israel is essential, has been incredibly strong in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, and should continue, as it has most recently through the unprecedented deployment of the THAAD missile defense system along with 100 U.S. forces to Israel this week. In response to the most recent letter from Secretaries Blinken and Austin, Israel has already taken action to further increase humanitarian aid flow into Gaza and we expect the issues raised in the letter will continue to be addressed appropriately.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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