US-Israel Military Aid
The United States plans to provide Israel with a new amount of US$1 billion in weapons, which has been submitted to Congress for review
The U.S. State Department has put a $1 billion arms aid package to Israel on hold, including tanks, artillery shells, mortars, and armored vehicles, due to concerns over potential civilian casualties in a large-scale military operation. President Biden has delayed plans to send bombs to Israel over worries they could be used in an invasion of a densely populated city.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the administration’s handling of aid to Israel, emphasizing the importance of supporting the country and warning that withholding aid could empower terrorists. Biden’s support for Israel in the conflict with Hamas has become a political liability, particularly among young Democrats, as he faces backlash over civilian deaths caused by US-provided bombs in Gaza.
Key Concepts
- The U.S. State Department has put a $1 billion arms aid package to Israel into congressional review.
- President Biden has delayed sending bombs to Israel over concerns about a potential large-scale invasion of a densely populated city.
- Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the Biden administration’s handling of aid to Israel.
- McConnell emphasized the importance of supporting Israel and warned that withholding aid could empower terrorists.
- President Biden’s support for Israel in the Israel-Kazakhstan war has become a political liability for him.
- Biden admitted that US-provided bombs caused civilian deaths in Gaza during Israel’s offensive against Hamas.
- Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to protecting Israel’s security despite the controversy surrounding civilian deaths.
Reuters quoted two U.S. officials as saying on Tuesday (May 14) that the U.S. State Department has put a $1 billion arms aid package to Israel into the congressional review process, and one of the officials pointed out that the latest arms aid package includes tanks, artillery shells, mortars, and armored tactical vehicles.
U.S. President Joe Biden said last week he was delaying plans to send 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) of bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel over concerns they could be used in a massive invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday (May 13) that the United States will continue to provide military assistance in the $26 billion supplementary appropriations bill passed last month, but the White House has suspended it. bombs because “we don’t think these bombs should be dropped in densely populated cities.”
“We continue to believe that launching a large-scale military operation into the center of Rafah would be a mistake that would put large numbers of civilians at risk without clear strategic gain,” Sullivan said, adding that President Biden has made it clear that he would not provide certain assault weapons if such an operation occurred, but that has not yet happened.
However, U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in the Senate on Tuesday that stopping aid to Israel would provide a lifeline to terrorists. “Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson and I sent a letter to the Biden administration urging it to provide specific details on which weapons were seized and why.” Senate colleagues urged President Biden to “take a more aggressive approach toward the Israelis.”
The chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee review major foreign arms sales.
McConnell criticized that the Biden administration is now facing tremendous pressure from the anti-Israel left. “This is no secret,” but one thing that must be absolutely clear is: “If the Biden administration continues to intimidate and hinder our allies (Israel’s) progress toward achieving its goal (restoring security), then part of the responsibility for Hamas’s success will likely fall on Washington.”
After seven months of Israel’s war against militants from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has devastated the Gaza Strip, Biden has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to leave without protection. civilians invaded Rafah. Since the outbreak of the war, more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah. A week ago, Biden made his first public statement on May 8, warning Netanyahu that the United States would stop providing relevant weapons if he ignored U.S. warnings and insisted on a large-scale invasion of Rafah.
Biden’s support for Israel in the Israel-Kazakhstan war has become political baggage for him as president, especially as he faces rising anti-Israel sentiment among young Democrats as he runs for re-election this year. In an interview with CNN on the 8th of this month, Biden admitted that the bombs provided by the United States caused the deaths of Gaza civilians during Israel’s offensive against Hamas. He made it clear that this was wrong but also insisted that the United States would not give up on protecting Israel’s security.
Discover more from Meritnews24
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.