White House approved arms to 'Israel' same day aid workers killed: WP
3 Min Read
The sale occurred prior to the murder of WCK workers but was confirmed by the State Department after the incident had taken place. Has hypocrisy reached new levels?
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An Israeli soldier moves atop a tank near the separation line with Gaza, as seen from southern Palestine, Thursday, April 4, 2024 (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing three US officials, that the Biden administration approved the sales of arms and weapons to 'Israel' on the same day that the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed by a targeted Israeli airstrike.
According to sources, the approval occurred prior to the murder of WCK workers but was confirmed by the State Department after the killing had taken place.
The report adds this sheds light on President Joe Biden's "emotional" statement expressing "outrage and heartbreak over the tragedy".
"This is not a stand-alone incident. This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed," Biden said on Tuesday. "This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult — because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians."
Read more: US and Germany provide 'Israel' with 99% of weapons: Report
But a recent Wall Street Journal report stated that the White House stance on "Israel" has remained unchanged after the incident.
White House spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday reiterated the administration's support for "Israel", stating that the US trusts the regime to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
"We make no bones about the fact that we have certain issues about some of the way things are being done," Kirby said. "We also make no bones about the fact that Israel is going to continue to have American support for the fight that they are in to eliminate the threat from Hamas."
Biden is facing harsh criticism as he fails to clarify his stance on "Israel". There are further calls for independent investigations from figures such as WCK chair José Andrés, who accused the Israeli regime of systematically targeting aid workers.
"It’s very complicated to understand. … America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work, but at the same time weapons provided by America … are killing civilians," Andrés told Reuters in an interview.
Read more: US made some 100 covert arms deals with 'Israel' since Oct. 7: Report
The newspaper reported last week that despite the ongoing increase in the number of martyrs in Gaza, the US approved the provision of over 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs to "Israel."
The US maintains its stance of denying any violations of international humanitarian law by "Israel" during its ground invasion in Gaza. It has also refused to impose restrictions on arms supply to its primary ally in the Middle East.
