White House says aid isn't getting into Gaza because of 'criminal gangs'

[Beastly Boy]

The White House says a bottleneck of aid trucks at a key crossing into the Gaza Strip is the fault of bands of looters who are ransacking the vehicles, not the Israeli government.

National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby on Wednesday told reporters that President Biden’s top national security aide, Jake Sullivan, was set to discuss the dearth of humanitarian goods in Gaza during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

He said the humanitarian situation in Gaza would be “front and center” for Sullivan, who plans to use the talks to push Gallant on “what more we can do to get more trucks in ... to the people that most need that aid and assistance.”

Kirby noted that the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza is currently open with a queue of fully-laden, aid-bearing trucks waiting to pass through the checkpoint. Yet “not a lot” of the vehicles that are lined up are able to enter Gaza, he said, because “criminal gangs now are looting these trucks.”

“The World Food Program and UN drivers are obviously concerned about getting attacked, and so we're going to have to continue to work with the the the Israelis to try to address that problem,” he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/white-house-says-aid-isn-t-getting-into-gaza-because-of-criminal-gangs/ar-BB1oWisr

[AloeVera]

1. That article is from June 26th.

And even then...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-gaza-humanitarian-aid-b2569354.html

The humanitarian situation, especially in the north, is heartbreaking and outrageous. No aid for over 2 weeks, not one truck allowed in while Israel was conducting it's renewed aerial and ground assaults.

It's only since the stern letter from the US. a few days ago threatening consequences that Israel allowed 30 trucks in the next day. The letter stated at least 10 times that amount should go in every day. Hope it's picked up now. I can't imagine not eating for over 2 weeks, can you?

[Eko]

2. Good catch.

"It's not Israels fault, its all the criminals in Gaza." Interesting take isn't it? As if Israel is powerless against some "criminals". You broke it you fix it.

[AloeVera]

4. There ARE criminal elements attacking aid trucks and conspiring with the attackers!

Link to tweet

?t=fjnIpO-Tk9vRcgvNUUG-_A&s=19


But yeah, let's blame the starving Palestinians. Nothing new.

[Beastly Boy]

6. There is something to be said about criminal elements stealing from their own people.

Haven't heard it happen outside of the Hamas-controlled territories.

But yeah, let's pretend it never happened.

[AloeVera]

8. Lol. Israeli settlers not only steal/obstruct food from the starving, they also steal Palestinian land.

Aided and abetted by the state you are so vigorously defending.

Something could be said about those things too. Actually, a lot could be said.

Suffice for now to point out the vast difference between starving and desparate "criminal elements" and well-fed and hideous religious zealots enjoying the protection of their criminal state while committing their hideous crimes.

[Beastly Boy]

15. Are you paying attention to what you are posting at all?

I don't want to argue that the radical settlers are destroying (they are stealing none of it) the food that would otherwise go to the criminal elements who DO steal food from the starving, which is bad enough, but "desparate "criminal elements" ?????

Unless you meant to call them disparate, which would have met with my agreement, those thugs are neither desperate nor starving. They control Gaza's black market. Not only do they steal from starving palestinians and stuff themselves with stolen food, they sell the leftovers at huge, unaffordable to most, markups to the people they just robbed.

Speaking of well fed and hideous religious zealots!

If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that you are mocking yourself.

[AloeVera]

18. Personal insults are so like you.

I would put you on ignore again except for your annoying habit of responding to my posts when you know I won't see them in your usual disparaging and disingenuous way.

Enjoy your "witty" repartee all by yourself.

Perhaps one day you will put your talents to something other than defending the starvation and genocide of Palestinians.

[Beastly Boy]

24. I am sorry that you took my reference to well fed and hideous religious zealots personally - I absolutely

made it in defense of starving Palestinians. I certainly didn't mean to insult anyone other than the aforementioned well fed and hideous religious zealots, who were clearly not among the starving.

Or was it my reference to criminal elements who steal food from the starving that you found insulting?

What offended you more, my mention that they steal from starving Palestinians, or that they sell the leftovers at huge, unaffordable to most, markups to the people they just robbed?

It couldn't possibly be that you took offense to me not blaming Israel for their crimes, could it?

And please don't put me on ignore! Sometimes I surprise myself and annoyingly post responses without having a single concern about you not seeing them. And every once in a blue moon I even post stuff that has nothing to do with you at all.

[AloeVera]

25. You know what you said. That you are now trying to wiggle out of it is like you too.

Armed gangs and criminal elements or not, they are a smokescreen as is this o/p.

[Beastly Boy]

27. I know exactly what I said. I could read what I said to remind me. So can you,

You can also compare it to what my wiggling out consists of.

Go ahead, read it... I am not that good at wiggling out, am I?

I can use more lessons in wiggling out from people who are really good at it. Who knows, maybe some day they will pay off for me.

[AloeVera]

28. I misconstrued, misinterpreted. I am sorry for accusing you unfairly.

I do see what you mean.

Of course I totally disagree with your views on just about everything in I/P, but that is another matter.

It would be wrong of me to accuse you of something on second reading it's clear you did not do.

And I appreciate your honesty with regards to what happened while you were on ignore.

Let's call it a night now. Tomorrow is another day!

[Beastly Boy]

5. You are right. Sorry for the delay. Have you heard anyhing since then

that might indicate the criminal gangs in Gaza stopped looting these trucks?

And what exactly does your link to the article have to do with the free-form commentary you followed it with? It had nothing to do with the content of the article, did it?

[AloeVera]

7. I'm sure the violent settlers are still trying to obstruct and destroy aid.

The link I provided had a date. Yours didn't.

I know you're a stickler for evidence so I helpfully provided it.

[lapucelle]

10. The link you provided has a date of June 2. The three links I provide in my post below are dated TODAY. N/T

[AloeVera]

11. It helps to read the whole thread before jumping in.

You are not correct. The link I provided to the Independent shows a date of June 26, as I said.

I was responding to the o/p which linked to a nearly 4 month-old article.

You confused that somehow with the subsequent June 2 post on X I linked to showing the crazy settlers destroying aid for starving Palestinians.

[lapucelle]

14. ...

[Beastly Boy]

12. Indeed I am a stickler for evidence. And dates.

With that in mind, allow me to update you on the original story:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/white-house-says-armed-gangs-blocking-aid-going-into-southern-gaza/

White House says armed gangs blocking aid going into southern Gaza

Dated 21 October 2024, 7:57 pm


Knock yourself out. It will definitively address your urge to deflect. I hope you will take it to heart... just kidding, I have no such hope.

[AloeVera]

16. Just responded to the other poster.

Sad.

People coming up with excuses for the intentional starvation of children. Clinging to absurdities, even victim-blaming, in order to try to justify this heinous crime of using starvation of civilians to achieve military and political goals.

I have no hope either. Not for them.

[lapucelle]

19. What are you even talking about at this point? Do you think that the Biden administration

is coming up with "excuses for the deliberate starvation of children"?

Are you accusing the White House press secretary and the White House national security advisor of "clinging to absurdities" and "victim-blaming"?

They both speak for our Democratic President's administration.

[AloeVera]

20. Oh please.

As if you don't know where the U.S. is getting it's information from.

[lapucelle]

21. Like I said, what are you even talking about at this point?

Is it your assumption that the Biden administration, including the Department of State and the National Security Council, are not sourcing this information responsibly?

Twice today, during on the record press availabilities, the Biden administration made it clear that

[T]here’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it.

Sorry, but I do not think that *some entity* is making a hapless dupe of President Biden.

[AloeVera]

23. It's a smokescreen, you know that. Just like this o/p.

President Biden is walking a tightrope, you also know that.

The reality is much different. Two U.S. agencies have found Israel is indeed obstructing aid. It's reached such a critical point, the threat of people dying is so great, that the U.S. a few days ago made the first threat of consequences directly to Israel. That in itself should tell you it's bad and who the U.S. thinks is responsible.

If after reading the link you still want to persist with your smokescreen and obfuscation of the truth, that's fine with me. But I will not waste my time further on any exchanges with you. Same goes for any other posters.

Bolding mine:

In one of its most direct and sweeping warnings to date, the Biden administration told Israeli government officials on Sunday that if they did not improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza in the next 30 days, the U.S. could reevaluate its military support, which has flowed largely without pause for more than a year.

In a letter to Israel’s ministers of defense and strategic affairs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said they were writing to “underscore the U.S. government’s deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory.” The letter was first reported by Israeli media and confirmed Tuesday by the State Department’s top spokesperson.

Last month, ProPublica detailed how the U.S. government’s two foremost authorities on humanitarian assistance — the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department’s refugees bureau — concluded this past spring that Israel had deliberately blocked deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza. Those experts determined that weapons sales should be halted under a U.S. law, known as the Foreign Assistance Act, that requires the government to cut off military aid to a country that is blocking humanitarian efforts.

Blinken rejected their findings and, weeks later, told Congress that the State Department had concluded that Israel was not arbitrarily blocking aid. After the U.S. government raised concerns, the Israelis promised to allow more aid to flow.

Those pledges do not appear to have been met. According to Blinken and Austin’s letter, September was the worst month for relief efforts in the past year. The amount of aid has dropped by more than 50% since the spring. Israelis halted imports to Palestinian civilians, denied or impeded 90% of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza last month, and imposed onerous new requirements for trucks carrying critical supplies, the letter says.

...snip...

Of course Israel has the capacity to deal with any "armed gangs" it claims are the problem. A point I noted you didn't address. Why it doesn't is at the heart of the matter. But whether it does or not, or whether these gangs even exist, are not the reason why people are starving. They are starving because Israel intentionally and systematically obstructs food and other aid as a matter of policy in pursuit of its own objectives.

If you persist with the obfuscation and pushing of smokescreens, then that inhuman and illegal policy is apparently cool with you and I won't be responding further.

On edit: added link
https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-blinken-pentagon-warning-letter

[lapucelle]

29. So now the claim is that on the record statements by the Biden administration are a "smokescreen"

and "obfuscation" and that both I and the OP "know that"?

Sorry, but a report published last month about a rejected assessment made last spring does not change the fact that the White House stated twice YESTERDAY that

[T]here’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it.

[AloeVera]

30. You ignore the reality of electoral politics.

The letter was leaked.

The U.S. is in a though situation.

Blinken's letter itself mentions "lawlessness and looting". That it is happening should not surprise anyone.

It's a consequence though, and not the cause.

It's a smokescreen used by Israel to lay blame elsewhere and evade it's own responsibility. Akin to blaming the horses for running away after you've opened the barn door. Totally ignoring cause and effect.

In case you missed it the first time:

“We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government – including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September, continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and instituting new vetting and onerous liability and customs requirements for humanitarian staff and shipments – together with increased lawlessness and looting – are contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza,”

[Beastly Boy]

22. Do I detect yet another attempt to avoid addressing the contents of my post?

I am beginning to detect a pattern here.

...Ok, I detected that pattern long ago. I am just surprised how often you fall back on it.

[AloeVera]

26. See post #23.

No further posts from me. I've said what I needed to.

[lapucelle]

9. The fact that armed gangs are threatening and looting aid trucks came up TODAY at two WH press briefings.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, October 21, 2024

That number must further increase over the coming week, and we are grateful for Jordan’s leadership in organizing these deliveries. We also call on all parties to wo- — cooperate in dis- — in distributing the many hundreds of truckloads now on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing. The — the armed gangs threatening and looting deliveries from this platform are keeping vital supplies away from those in desperate need.

And we, here at t- — in the U.S., as the largest — are the largest contributor to the humanitarian response in Gaza and will continue to support all efforts to surge and safeguard assistance and enable its dis- — distribution into all — all areas of Gaza.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2024/10/21/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-october-21-2024/

-------------------------------------------------

October 21, 2024
On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby

MR. KIRBY: Well, the short answer to your question really is: Of course, we want more done. We need to see much more aid getting into Gaza. You mentioned the north. I would note that over the last few days to a week there’s been — more than 120 trucks have made it into northern Gaza, which is a good thing. It’s not enough, but it’s a good thing. We also noted and welcomed the air drops that the UAE conducted over the last couple of days, I think over the weekend. That also was helpful. But much more needs to be done, and we’re going to continue talking to our Israeli counterparts about that.

I mean, for instance, you know, there’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it. So we all have to take a turn here and see what we can do to reduce that pressure down at Kerem Shalom so that that aid can get in. More needs to be done. But, yes, we have seen an uptick over the last few days.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2024/10/21/on-the-record-press-gaggle-by-white-house-national-security-communications-advisor-john-kirby-33/

===========================

The story was also covered in The Times of Israel TODAY.

Live Update From the Liveblog of Monday, October 21, 2024

White House says armed gangs blocking aid going into southern Gaza
By Jacob Magid
Today, 7:57 pm

Armed gangs have been preventing trucks of humanitarian aid from entering Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says.

“There are plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping them, so we all have to take a turn here and see what we can do to reduce that pressure down at Kerem Shalom so that that aid can get in,” Kirby says during a press briefing.

He notes that Israel has allowed 120 trucks of aid into Gaza after barring aid from reaching the several hundred thousand people still in the area for two weeks.

“More needs to be done. But we have seen an uptick over the last few days,” Kirby says.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/white-house-says-armed-gangs-blocking-aid-going-into-southern-gaza/

[AloeVera]

13. Of course it's Palestinians' fault.

They are starving themselves.

It's not Israel not letting in aid as usual, in order to starve the Palestinians out of the North. Nope. It's Palestinian ARMED GANGS! So vicious and well-armed that the poor overwhelmed and under-armed IDF have no choice but to stand back and allow it to happen. Apparently Israel has no manpower to spare to guard the trucks, nor security personnel. So it's not their fault!

This is the kind of garbage Israel feeds the U.S.

And the world shakes its head in disbelief and disgust.

[lapucelle]

17. Why are you conflating Palestinians with the "armed gangs and criminal groups"

that Joe Biden's White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby referenced at his press conference?

October 21, 2024
On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby

MR. KIRBY: Well, the short answer to your question really is: Of course, we want more done. We need to see much more aid getting into Gaza. You mentioned the north. I would note that over the last few days to a week there’s been — more than 120 trucks have made it into northern Gaza, which is a good thing. It’s not enough, but it’s a good thing. We also noted and welcomed the air drops that the UAE conducted over the last couple of days, I think over the weekend. That also was helpful. But much more needs to be done, and we’re going to continue talking to our Israeli counterparts about that.

I mean, for instance, you know, there’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it. So we all have to take a turn here and see what we can do to reduce that pressure down at Kerem Shalom so that that aid can get in. More needs to be done. But, yes, we have seen an uptick over the last few days.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2024/10/21/on-the-record-press-gaggle-by-white-house-national-security-communications-advisor-john-kirby-33/

[AloeVera]

31. I know victim-blaming when I see it.

Lawlessness and looting has been turned into "armed gangs and criminal groups". Sounds so much better if you want to ignore root causes.

Why is there lawlessness and looting? Geez, it's such a mystery.

The destruction of UNRWA and its distribution centes, the outright banning of its presence in the north, the banning of commercial imports and the systematic slowing down of humanitarian aid through the use of a byzantine labyrinth of absurd rules and regulations, the refusal to provide military escorts for aid trucks and a protected humanitarian corridor ....on and on...

But let's deflect to the foretold-consequences of those actions and policies, especially if those actions are committed by BAD PALESTINIANS, shall we?

I'm done with all Israel's apologists and enablers.

[lapucelle]

32. Sorry, "Quick, look over here!" isn't going to work.

Conflating Palestinians with armed gangs and criminal groups is frankly disgusting.

[T]here’s armed gangs at the Kerem Shalom crossing. You know, there’s plenty of trucks that are waiting to get in there, and they’re not able to get in there because of these armed gangs and criminal groups that are stopping it.

Sorry, but this can't be made about anything else than what it is:armed gangs blocking aid from getting into southern Gaza.