Rifle deal to 'Israel' delayed because of concerns regarding Ben-Gvir
3 Min Read
The US government delays the rifle deal with "Israel" amid concerns regarding the intentions of Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
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Armed Israeli settlers walk through the street with guns in the occupied city of al-Lydd, Friday, May 28, 2021. (AP)
The licenses for selling 20,000 US-made rifles to "Israel" have been delayed by the Biden administration over alleged concerns about attacks against West Bank Palestinians carried out by Israeli settlers, according to US officials cited in an Axios report.
The initial Israeli request for the rifles was aimed at arming Israeli settlers bordering the Gaza Strip, Syria, and Lebanon, as they are considered "first responders" who supposedly would respond to any alleged attacks, given that these settlers are all trained to shoot and kill by the Israeli police.
However, given that Israeli occupation Police Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, oversees the police, the US treated the request with caution, fearing that he might use the weapons to arm extremist settlers in the West Bank.
As such, a US official told Axios, "This deal isn't moving anywhere at the moment," despite the initial license offered by the Biden administration and Congress which conditioned the export based on assurances that the sale would be directed toward those border settlements.
"We need more assurances from Israel about the steps it is going to take to curb attacks by violent settlers and to make sure no new U.S. weapons will reach settlers in the West Bank," the official stressed.
This position was further stressed after the administration's decision to send the rifle deal for another review by the State Department.
In turn, a State Department spokesperson told Axios, "We are restricted from publicly confirming or commenting on details regarding direct commercial defense sales licensing activities."
Read more: Fear of Israeli settlers' violence on the rise amid US gun orders: NYT
Four martyrs in Jenin
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Thursday morning that a young man succumbed to his wounds as a result of the ongoing occupation aggression in Jenin for the third day in a row.
At early morning on Thursday, three Palestinians were martyred, and six others were injured by occupation drone bombings in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin, as the aggression against the city and its camp continues.
The number of martyrs in Jenin in the West Bank has now risen to 11 since the Israeli occupation began its storming of the camp in the early morning hours of Tuesday.
Journalist Amro Jaradat told Al Mayadeen that the Israeli occupation forces detained hundreds of Palestinians in the city of Jenin and its camp as part of its military campaign. He pointed out that the humanitarian situation in Jenin camp is critical as a result of the Israeli siege imposed on the camp.
