Despite strife, US arms shipments 'to Israel will not be touched'

By Al Mayadeen English
11 Mar 2024 00:42
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A report shows that the US has stocked up "Israel" with tens of thousands of necessary equipment to carry out their joint genocide in Gaza.

Israeli soldiers from the artillery unit store tank shells in a staging area at the Gaza border in southern occupied Palestine, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 (AP)

Israeli media cited senior officials in Washington on Sunday stating that US President Joe Biden and his administration have been increasingly criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war on Gaza. Still, they affirmed that military aid to "Israel" will not be touched.

Israeli Channel 12 published data about the air train of weapons from the United States to "Israel". It includes tens of thousands of 155 mm artillery shells, tens of thousands of bomb guidance systems JDAMs, air-to-surface missiles, helicopters, and ammunition for the Iron Dome system, transported by a network of some 140 planes from around the world.

Earlier today, a report by Haaretz detailed an “unprecedented air bridge” between the United States and “Israel,” explaining that over the past five months, Washington has transferred a colossal amount of its ammunition to the occupation from its bases and strategic outposts around the world.

The arsenal was exported from the Dover base in the US, Ramstein in Germany, or Al-Odeid in Qatar, which is the largest base in the Middle East, where the US Central Command's primary headquarters are located.

Since October 7, at least 140 heavy air lifters landed in "Israel", mostly the "Nevatim" airbase, post-takeoff from international US bases, exporting military equipment.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the United States has clandestinely approved and executed more than 100 arms deals and foreign military sales to the Israeli regime since the onset of the war on Gaza in October.

According to the newspaper, this figure encompasses thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, bunker-busting bombs, small arms, and other lethal supplies, as disclosed by US officials in a recent classified briefing to Congress.

US assigns 1,000 troops to Gaza

The construction of a temporary port system, "aimed at expediting aid to Gaza," is expected to take around 60 days, Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said.

The said mission will require the involvement of approximately 1,000 troops, Ryder added, detailing that the extensive US military operation will include both soldiers and sailors.

However, in this grandiose US military spectacle, with soldiers and sailors in tow, the spokesperson assured that not a single troop will set foot on Gaza's shore, not even for a moment to secure the not-so-essential dock to the beach, claiming that the operations will take place offshore.

The Biden-Netanyahu fallout

US President Joe Biden stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions towards Gaza are detrimental to "Israel", causing more harm than benefit and leading to a global backlash against the occupation entity.

"He [Netanyahu] has the right to defend Israel, the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken," Biden said in an interview to the MSNBC broadcaster, adding that in his opinion, Netanyahu "is hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world" to go against what "Israel stands for", which is a "big mistake."

Netanyahu responded and dissed the US president, saying "If he [Biden] meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts."

The US president pointed out, however, that Washington does not have any "red lines" concerning Israeli actions in Gaza. "I will never leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there is no red line," Biden added.

Biden's statement reflects hypocrisy, as he stands by Israeli actions while also criticizing Netanyahu's government for its aggression against the Gaza Strip.