US provided $6.5Bln in military aid to 'Israel' since October 2023
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The undisclosed amount was a focal point of discussions during Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant's visit to the US this week.
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Destroyed buildings stand on the coast of the Gaza Strip as seen from the Mediterranean Sea, Tuesday, June 25, 2024 (AP Photo)
The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing a senior administration official, that the US has supplied "Israel" with over $6.5 billion in military supplies dubbed as aid since the beginning of the war on Gaza last October, including nearly $3 billion approved in May.
The undisclosed amount was a focal point of discussions during Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant's visit to the US this week. Described as a "massive undertaking" by the official, the talks aimed to address "Israel's" concerns about Washington's alleged pause in security assistance shipments.
Throughout the discussions, American arms specialists engaged in deliberations over "hundreds of separate items" of military supplies with their Israeli counterparts, aiming to alleviate "Israel's" discontent over so-called "bottlenecks" in US arms deliveries.
"There are issues on the Israeli side, in terms of things they might want, which might not have been totally clear," the source said, adding that the visit was overall "highly constructive and productive."
Read more: US warns ‘Israel’ over Lebanon as Gallant meets with Austin
On Tuesday, Gallant held talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his official visit to Washington. The following day, he met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. After these meetings, Gallant expressed that substantial headway had been achieved in addressing the delays in US arms supplies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that the US had significantly reduced its supply of munitions to "Israel" four months ago and had not responded to subsequent Israeli requests for increased supply.
Netanyahu's claim that Washington is delaying military shipments from "Israel" was described as "disappointing" by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby.
During a press briefing on June 20, Kirby expressed that the White House was not aware the video was coming and called it "perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing."
In May, Secretary Austin confirmed a temporary halt in arms deliveries to "Israel," specifying that this affected only a single batch. President Joe Biden later informed CNN that the US would cease the delivery of aviation bombs and artillery munitions if the military operation in the Gaza Strip expanded to include Rafah. However, he noted that defensive weapons, such as air defense systems, would continue to be supplied to "Israel."
US complicity in Israeli war crimes
On January 15, Anadolu Agency reported that 50 lawyers from South Africa were working to prosecute the US and the UK for their complicity in the Gaza genocide.
Attorney Wikus Van Rensburg, the driving force behind the legal action, aims to prosecute those complicit in the crimes through civilian courts, collaborating with legal professionals in the US and UK.
"What happened in Iraq is an example of this; no one held the US accountable for the crimes it committed in the Middle Eastern country as the issue was not given the necessary importance," he said.
Read more: US persists in denying links between Gaza genocide, regional conflicts
On a related note, Senate negotiations to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) were reported to have reached an impasse, Axios reported.
The deadlock centers on how forcefully to react to the ICC's pursuit of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a highly politicized issue ahead of the 2024 election.
