Pappas, Malliotakis, Titus, Schneider, Meng Lead Bipartisan Call to Protect Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza from Unvetted Turkish Flotilla

Today, Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Dina Titus (NV-01), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Grace Meng (NY-06) led a bipartisan letter urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to protect the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in response to reports of an unvetted flotilla planning to depart from Turkey to Gaza and expressing concerns over Turkey’s recent imposition of export restrictions on key materials to Israel. The bipartisan letter has 15 additional cosigners.

In the letter, the lawmakers shared their support for the Administration’s comprehensive, multilateral strategy to maintain the flow of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, writing, “The Administration’s plan to construct a floating pier off Gaza and the ongoing Cyprus-led Amalthea humanitarian corridor demonstrate effective international cooperation. These measures are designed to ensure that duly-vetted aid reaches Palestinian civilians without benefiting Hamas.”

They expressed significant concerns with the reported “Freedom Flotilla Coalition,” saying, “The flotilla, led in part by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) – which has close ties with the Turkish government and has previously raised funds for Hamas – intends to bypass established aid channels and refuse to allow Israeli inspection of their cargo, casting doubt on the nature of the mission.”

They concluded by emphasizing concerns that the flotilla may exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, inflame regional tensions, and undermine ongoing negotiations for a temporary ceasefire, writing, “We reaffirm our support for Israel and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. We oppose any actions, like the Turkish flotilla or Turkey’s imposition of export restrictions, that could impede effective aid delivery, escalate the conflict, or jeopardize negotiations between Israel and Hamas. We urge the Administration to continue to uphold these principles in response to these developments.”

The letter was supported by American Hellenic Institute (AHI), American Jewish Committee (AJC), FDD Action, and Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC).

The letter is here and below.

Dear Secretary Blinken: 

We write to express concerns about deteriorating Israeli-Turkish relations and reports that a Turkish coalition is allegedly planning to launch a flotilla to Gaza. While we strongly support humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, we are gravely worried that such a hastily organized and unvetted effort could further inflame regional tensions, disrupt existing aid delivery mechanisms, exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and jeopardize multilateral negotiations aimed at securing a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages.

Ongoing security threats in Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attack, including the unprecedented attack on Israel earlier this month by Iran and its proxies, undermine Israel’s security and economy. These events also underscore the importance of Congress’s passage of the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act which ensures Israel has the strategic support it needs to defend itself. We also support the Administration’s comprehensive, multilateral strategy to maintain the flow of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The Administration’s plan to construct a floating pier off Gaza and the ongoing Cyprus-led Amalthea humanitarian corridor demonstrate effective international cooperation. These measures are designed to ensure that duly-vetted aid reaches Palestinian civilians without benefiting Hamas.

However, we are gravely concerned by the reported “Freedom Flotilla Coalition,” which plans to breach the established security perimeter with an unknown number of ships to deliver aid to Gaza. The flotilla, led in part by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) – which has close ties with the Turkish government and has previously raised funds for Hamas – intends to bypass established aid channels and refuse to allow Israeli inspection of their cargo, casting doubt on the nature of the mission. 

We strongly urge you to engage directly with President Erdogan and the Turkish government to prevent or delay the flotilla’s departure and ensure that all shipments to Gaza are vetted and in compliance with international standards for humanitarian assistance.

We are also concerned that Turkey’s imposition of export restrictions on key construction materials to Israel may exacerbate Israel’s economic challenges. We strongly urge you to pressure Turkey to rescind this policy to avoid further inflaming regional tensions and before other nations follow suit. We encourage you to work with the Department of Commerce to determine whether it may be appropriate to invoke antiboycott provisions under the Export Control Reform Act, which prohibit agreements by U.S. companies that refuse to do business with Israel.

We reaffirm our support for Israel and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. We oppose any actions, like the Turkish flotilla or Turkey’s imposition of export restrictions, that could impede effective aid delivery, escalate the conflict, or jeopardize negotiations between Israel and Hamas. We urge the Administration to continue to uphold these principles in response to these developments.

Sincerely,