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Sent iron money7/5/2023 “It would be appalling for the Biden Administration to go through with $735 million in precision-guided weaponry to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu without any strings attached in the wake of escalating violence and attacks on civilians. Ilhan Omar said it would be “appalling” if the administration went through with the sale. In recent days, the President and officials on his national security team have routinely said that Israel has the right to defend itself. The growing number of civilian deaths in Gaza is causing worry inside the White House as officials work the phones with partners in the region, but Biden has not called for a ceasefire, despite the Democrats’ push for him to do so. This sale is part of routine support to Israel and did not come about due to the recent escalating violence in the region, the sources added. Israel has purchased these precision-guided weapons from the US in the past, and it is believed that they are being used in the current military campaign on Gaza, the two sources familiar with the sale said. The State Department does not comment on pending sales, a spokesperson told CNN. There are expedited review processes for arms sales to NATO and its member states, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Australia and New Zealand, according to the Pentagon. The window has basically closed, the source said. With just four days left in the review process, and a requirement for the committees of jurisdiction to act to block the bill, there’s virtually no chance of that happening, according to the source. That’s because this particular sale, like all sales to Israel, is going through an expedited congressional review process, which gives Congress a 15-day window to take action to stop it instead of the usual 30-day review period. The sale is unlikely to be stopped by Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter. Israeli warplanes pound Hamas tunnels as conflict enters second week The Washington Post was first to report that the White House had notified Congress of the proposed sale.įire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target the Palestinian enclave, early on May 17. The US pledged to provide $38 billion in military aid to Israel from 2019 to 2028 in an agreement between the two countries in 2016.Ĭongress has 15 days to review the proposed sale – which it received notification of on May 5 – before it is finalized. Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since World War II and this sale is one small part of overall US military support. The sale of the precision-guided weapons, which the administration approved before the latest outbreak of violence between Hamas and the Israeli government, is now being reviewed by Congress as concerns grow among progressive Democrats about the Biden administration remaining adamant that Israel has a right to defend itself from rocket attacks from Hamas. The Biden administration notified Congress of a proposed US weapons sale to Israel worth $735 million earlier this month, according to two sources familiar with the notification.
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