The Biden administration has informed Congress that the United States intends to move forward with plans to sell more than $1 billion of new weapons to Israel, according to three congressional aides familiar with the deal.
Notification of sale, including new tactical vehicles and ammunition, as President Biden puts bomb shipments to Israel on hold in hopes of preventing U.S.-made weapons from being used in a potential invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah It was done while Biden said last week that he would prevent weapons such as bombs and missiles from entering the densely populated areas where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled.
The potential arms transfers signal a narrow path for the Biden administration to take with Israel, seeking to thwart the attack on Rafah and limit civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, but deny the president’s right to defend his country. It continues to supply a longtime ally that claims to be one. One Congressional aide said Congress had been aware of the arms deal for months, and the administration was waiting for a foreign aid package with more aid to Israel to be passed before proceeding with the necessary congressional notification process. He suggested they were simply waiting.
When asked about the package, which was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal, the State Department referred to recent comments from White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, stating that the package is designed to protect Israel from Israeli threats. It cited continued commitments to provide military assistance. region.
“The president has made it clear that if such an operation were to take place, he would not provide specific assault weapons for it,” Sullivan said. “That hasn’t happened yet. And we continue to work with Israel on better ways to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah.”
The regime is seeking a cease-fire agreement that would release at least some of the hostages taken on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel and started the war. But Qatar’s prime minister, a key figure in the talks, said on Tuesday that talks were “almost at a stalemate”.
Biden initially welcomed Israel after the Oct. 7 attack that killed an estimated 1,200 people, but he also expressed concern over Israel’s war effort in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 people, according to Gaza Strip health officials. It became more and more confrontational. .
Still, despite threatening to withhold additional weapons last week, the U.S. has made clear it intends to supply weapons to keep allies safe, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and “attack response capabilities.” did. It was launched by Iran in April.
The State Department’s informal notification of the arms transfer to the necessary Congressional committees begins a multi-step process in which top foreign affairs lawmakers informally review the terms of the arms transfer and consult privately with the State Department. The package will then be considered by Congress as a whole.
Edward Wong Contributed to the report.
