Biden plans to sell $8 billion in arms to Israel
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Joe Biden’s administration has tentatively approved $8 billion in new weapons for Israel in a last-minute show of support for the US president’s close ally after more than a year of war in Gaza.
The State Department disclosed the sale to Congress late Friday in what was described as an informal notification, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Such notification occurs prior to the public announcement of a deal that requires approval from the Senate and the House Foreign Relations Committee before implementation.
Axios first reported the proposed sale, which includes $6.75 billion in precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300 million in 155mm artillery shells, $600 million in Hellfire missiles, and Amraam air-to-air missiles worth $300 million, according to one of the people familiar with the matter.
A second person said some of the weapons would come directly from U.S. stocks, but many would take a year or longer to deliver.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed people more than 45,000 People in the enclave, according to Palestinian health authorities. According to Israeli officials, Israel launched the offensive in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people.
Biden administration officials have vowed to continue efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza until the end of their term on January 20, but talks have been on hold for months.
The government has repeatedly expressed concern to Israel about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but has largely failed to follow through on threats to withhold weapons.
In November, the State Department withdrew its threat to withhold military aid even after aid deliveries to Gaza fell to record lows, saying it was satisfied that Israel had taken steps to improve the humanitarian situation.
U.S. officials say aid deliveries have improved since then but remain inadequate. Aid groups have repeatedly warned that Israel’s offensive has fueled a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave and called for the delivery of much larger quantities of aid.
Biden said he supported Israel’s right to defend itself and pledged to provide it with weapons as part of efforts to deter Iran and its proxies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has frequently accused the United States of delaying arms and ammunition shipments, an accusation the Biden administration denies.
In November, Netanyahu said he had agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon to help Israeli forces replenish their supplies.
This month, the Biden administration informally notified Congress that it intended to give to Israel $680 million in precision weapons.
The announcement came after some Democrats in Congress unsuccessfully tried to block a $20 billion arms sale to Israel last summer.
Congress approved $26 billion in additional war aid for Israel in April. This was in addition to the $3.8 billion in security assistance the US provides to Israel annually.
