For the second time this month, the Biden administration has skirted Congress to authorise an emergency weaponry transfer to Israel in the midst of its conflict with Hamas.
The $147.5 million in equipment sales, which include fuzes, chargers, and primers, are designed to improve the functionality of the US ally’s previous purchase of over 14,000 rounds of 155mm shells in early December.
Blinken determined that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to Israel, thereby waiving congressional review requirements, according to the Pentagon.
The sale comes as Israel intensifies its offensive in the Gaza Strip. The US has pressed Israel to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza and has called for it to scale down the war in the coming weeks.
Additionally, the Pentagon said Israel has requested that fuzes, primers, and charges be included in a previous request for 155mm shells, which estimated value of the sale is $147.5 million.
Report says this is the second time this month that the Biden administration has skipped a congressional review of a weapons sale to Israel. On December 9, the administration used the emergency authority to allow the sale of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which is part of the Pentagon, notified Congress of the sale on Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved it. The agency said the sale would not negatively impact U.S. defense readiness, and 155mm shells would be drawn from army stock.
The move comes as Israel faces increasing scrutiny over its military tactics and a civilian death toll that has surpassed 21,000 in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
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