President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum last year that required all countries that receive US military assistance not to impede humanitarian aid distribution. President Donald Trump has now rescinded that order.
In February 2024, President Biden issued a national security memorandum that said American military aid would be linked to compliance with international law. While the executive order was largely redundant, as the Leahy Laws prohibit US arms transfers to countries that commit war crimes, the memorandum was viewed as a way to push Israel to allow more assistance to enter Gaza.
The order proved ineffective in getting Tel Aviv to shift its policy of intentionally creating a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Following Biden’s executive memo leaked documents from USAID showed the agency concluded that Israel was still blocking aid into the Strip.
In May 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken explained that while Israel was blocking aid, Tel Aviv gave assurances to Washington that were “credible and reliable so as to allow the provision of defense articles … to continue.”
The Washington Post reported viewing a February 21 order from National Security Adviser Mike Waltz that rescinded Biden’s national security memo.
The order proved ineffective as aid deliveries into Gaza did not meet the minimum request from international aid organizations, about 500 trucks per day. Sarah Yager, Washington director of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, said the memo “wouldn’t have been necessary if the Biden administration had followed U.S. laws on arms transfers.”
“So my question for the Trump team is, ‘Will you show the American people that you will abide by U.S. laws when sending weapons to allies?’” she asked.
