US wants to fast-track approval of 45k Merkava shells to 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Reuters
9 Dec 2023 01:00
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The US State Department is pushing Congress to approve the $500 million sale requested by President Biden earlier this week for "Israel" for its ongoing war on Gaza.

A man carries a crying child as he walks in front of a building destroyed in an Israeli air aggression in Gaza City on October 7, 2023 (AFP)

Washington requested earlier this week Congress' approval for a sale of 45,000 Merkava tank shells to "Israel" to be used in the war on Gaza, as the brutal aggression on the Strip crossed its two-month mark, a US official and former official said, according to Reuters.

The potential $500 million sale is not part of the fund of $110.5 billion earlier requested by US President Joe Biden for both Ukraine and "Israel".

Currently, the Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees are looking into the request. Meanwhile, the US State Department is pushing for a quick approval.

"This went to committees earlier this week and they are supposed to have 20 days to review Israel cases. State (Department) is pushing them to clear now," Josh Paul, a former State Department spokesperson, told Reuters.

But the US State Department is pushing the congressional committees to quickly approve the transaction, amid objections from rights advocates over the use of US-made weapons in the war.

This comes as weapons and military hardware have been flowing in nonstop to "Israel" since October 7, mostly provided by the United States, to support its war on Gaza.

The Israeli Security Ministry announced on Wednesday the arrival of the 200th cargo plane delivering military equipment, marking the 10,000-tonne mark of foreign arms aid received by the occupation entity.

"Israel" stands as the largest recipient of US foreign military financing, with the majority of aid taking the form of weapon grants.

In 2023 alone, the US has supplied "Israel" with at least 16 types of weapons, including missiles and aircraft, Axios reported earlier.

According to Elias Yousif, a US arms transfer expert at the Stimson Center, it is a "safe assumption" that US weapons are extensively used in the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Zooming in on the types of weapons supplied, Axios mentioned Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) as the most common weapon system provided by the US to the entity. Boeing recently expedited the delivery of 1,800 JDAM kits to "Israel", accelerating a 2021 sale originally slated for fulfillment over several years.

Citing US officials, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the United States supplied the occupation entity with 100 Blu-109 bunker buster bombs, each carrying almost one tonne of explosive warheads that were used to commit at least one known large massacre in Jabalia last month.

While public statements between Biden and other senior officials of his administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, call for Israelis to "minimize civilian casualties" as much as possible, the ongoing supply of offensive weapons and munitions and destructive bombs signals the complete opposite, which has been clearly seen through the occupation military's use on the battlefield.

In its latest report, the Palestinian Health Ministry revealed that the death toll from the Israeli aggression on Gaza has risen to 17,487 martyrs, over 70% of which are children and women, with 56,400 citizens injured with various injuries since the launch of the Israeli war on October 7.

The Ministry added that in the past hours of Friday, over 300 Palestinians were martyred and 600 others were injured due to the Israeli bombing of various areas of the Gaza Strip.