Biden administration proceeds with Israel’s $1 billion military purchase

The Biden government is giving Israel over US$1 billion in new weapons and bullets. Three congressional workers said this on Tuesday.

This is the first time the government has said it will send weapons to Israel since it delayed sending 3,500 bombs earlier this month. The government stopped the transfer to prevent Israel from using the bombs in their attack on Rafah in southern Gaza.

The White House is getting criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for helping Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Some people in Joe Biden’s political party want him to stop sending weapons to Israel until they do more to protect Palestinians. Many Republicans disapprove of reducing the support for the military of Israel.

The package being sent has about $700 million for tank bullets, $500 million for military vehicles, and $60 million for mortar rounds, according to congressional aides. They talked but didn’t want to say who they are, about giving weapons to someone, but it’s not official yet.

It was not clear when the arms would be sent. It’s not certain if this delivery is from the delayed foreign aid package, an existing arms sale, or a new sale.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the plans to move the package.

House Republicans were planning to pass a bill this week that would make sure Israel gets the weapons they need. After Biden stopped sending bombs last week, the Republicans quickly criticized it. They said it shows that the US is leaving its closest ally in the Middle East.

The White House said on Tuesday that Biden would not approve the bill if Congress passed it. The bill is not likely to pass in the Senate where the Democrats are in charge. However, not all House Democrats agree on this, and about twenty-four of them wrote a letter to the Biden administration expressing their worries about stopping the bomb shipment.

One of the people who signed the letter was a representative from New York. Ritchie Torres said he will probably vote for the bill, even though the White House doesn’t support it.

“I usually support laws that help Israel, but if it hurts other important laws, I might not. ”

The White House has been telling different lawmakers and their assistants that they will not approve the new law.

“We really disagree with trying to limit the President from using US security help in line with US foreign policy and national security goals,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre this week. She also said the administration intends to use all the money Congress approved in the national security supplemental package signed into law by Biden last month.