Biden mulls over $1 billion in new arms sales to 'Israel': WSJ
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The Biden administration is contemplating providing tank shells, mortars, and vehicles in one of the most substantial arms transfers to "Israel" since the beginning of the war on Gaza.
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Illustrative: Israeli soldiers from the artillery unit store tank shells in a staging area in southern occupied Palestine, January 1, 2024. (AP)
A new report published by The Wall Street Journal on Friday reveals that US officials have disclosed that the Biden administration is considering over $1 billion in new weapons contracts for "Israel", which would include tank ammunition, military vehicles, and mortar rounds. This comes amid increased scrutiny regarding the utilization of US-made weaponry in the genocide in Gaza.
The suggested weapons transfers, which would supplement those included in an existing military aid agreement currently under consideration by Congress, would mark one of the most substantial allocations to "Israel" since October 7, as per the report.
The proposed sales also comes after Iran carried out an retaliatory strike on "Israel" the previous weekend, in response to the Israeli attack on Iran's consulate in Syria on April 1. Following the attack, "Israel" responded with a drone strike past midnight Friday. Analysts on the Israeli occupation's morning news programs noted that the strike seemed to have little impact on military installations in Iran.
Dive deeper
US officials disclosed, as per the report, that the proposed deals include $700 million worth of 120 mm tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and less than $100 million in 120 mm mortar rounds. Approval from congressional leaders would be required for these sales, which could take several months or even years to be fulfilled.
The United States has stated that it provides weapons to "Israel", often financed by US government funds, to enhance "Israel's" long-term defense capabilities. In this instance, the new tank ammunition and mortar rounds could serve to replenish "Israel's" supplies, which have been depleted during more than six months of Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Read more: In 195 days only: 33,970 killed, 76,770 injured in Gaza
The report emphasized that the plan is expected to face opposition from certain US lawmakers who are against providing "Israel" with more US weapons, even to address threats beyond the current Israeli aggression on Gaza.
US complicity in Gaza genocide
The administration is under escalating pressure from a growing faction of Democrats in Congress to decrease arms deliveries, aiming to prompt "Israel" to adopt more robust measures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza. According to Palestinian health authorities, over 33,000 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed amid the Israeli genocide.
Concurrently, shortages and difficulties in distributing aid are amplifying concerns about an imminent famine in Gaza, as cautioned by the United Nations.
Since the start of the Israeli aggression, the United States has supplied "Israel" with tens of thousands of bombs, tank and artillery ammunition, precision weapons, and air-defense equipment, utilizing a portion of the $23 billion worth of weapons transfers previously approved by Congress.
Read next: US shields 'Israel' from scrutiny, violations with unlimited weapons
Human rights organizations and some Western officials have condemned "Israel's" strategies for their role in causing significant damage to the urban environment in that area, not to mention the high civilian death toll.
The individual transfers of tank rounds and mortars are likely to encounter greater resistance in Congress because they are weapons utilized in the aggression on Gaza, rather than defensive measures, as per the report. Tanks could also be deployed by "Israel" in a ground offensive in Lebanon.
Over 50 members of Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, penned a letter in early April calling on President Biden to cease new transfers of offensive weaponry to "Israel" in the wake of the Israeli military's killing of a cohort of foreign aid workers in Gaza.
"Israel" has indicated the possibility of conducting an invasion of Rafah, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinian civilians seek refuge amid the ongoing genocide.
