By The Smartencyclopedia Staff & Agencies
The United States has approved an emergency weapons sale to Israel, the second one in a month, as Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza under growing international criticism.
The sale, worth $147.5 million, includes fuses, charges, and primers necessary to make the 155 mm shells that Israel has already purchased work. The equipment is considered essential for Israel’s defensive needs in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
The State Department said the sale was approved to help Israel “maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.” However, the decision has been met with criticism from some lawmakers and human rights groups.
Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the State Department’s circumvention of Congress in approving the sale. He said that Congress should have full visibility over the weapons that the US transfers to any other nation.
Josh Paul, a former State Department arms expert who resigned in protest in October over the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict in Israel and Gaza, told The Washington Post that Blinken’s decision to rush the unguided munitions enables Israel to continue the type of operations in Gaza that have “led to so many Palestinian civilian deaths.”
The State Department defended the sale, saying that it is “consistent with those objectives” of helping Israel maintain a strong self-defense capability. The statement also said that the US continues to “strongly emphasize to the government of Israel that they must not only comply with international humanitarian law, but also take every feasible step to prevent harm to civilians.”
The sale comes as President Joe Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs remains stalled in Congress. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3 billion in American assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.
The use of the emergency authority to bypass Congress is rare but not unprecedented. Past administrations have used it when they have seen an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for lawmakers’ approval.
This is the second emergency weapons sale that the US has approved to Israel in recent weeks. On December 9, Secretary Blinken approved the first US emergency weapons sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million.
The Trump administration also approved several emergency weapons sales to Israel during its time in office. In 2019, the administration approved a $735 million sale of precision munitions to Israel. In 2020, the administration approved a $38 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel.
The Biden administration has said that it is committed to maintaining a strong relationship with Israel. However, the administration has also said that it will hold Israel accountable for its actions.