- The US government approves billions of dollars in arms exports to Israel.
The U.S. government has approved large-scale weapons sales to Israel. The Congress has been informed about the impending sale of military equipment worth over $20 billion (around €18 billion), the U.S. State Department announced. The package includes more than 50 F-15 combat aircraft, 33,000 tank shells, high-explosive mortars, and tactical military vehicles.
Weapon Delivery to Israel Not for Gaza Conflict
The fulfillment of such contracts by the arms industry is a long-term process – for instance, the delivery of tank ammunition is not set to begin until 2027, and that of combat aircraft until 2029. Therefore, this is about the long-term equipping of the Israeli military, not its equipment in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The USA is Israel's most important ally. However, relations between the two countries are strained, particularly due to Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip and the high number of civilian casualties and humanitarian catastrophe in the conflict zone.
For the U.S. government under President Joe Biden, handling military aid to Israel is a delicate balancing act in domestic politics. Human rights activists and some members of the left wing of his Democratic Party had urged Biden, in light of the tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths in the war between Israel and Hamas, to limit or suspend weapons exports to Israel.
In May, Biden put a planned delivery of heavy bombs to Israel on hold ahead of Israel's impending attack on the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. However, other deliveries were reportedly not affected. Regarding the now-approved delivery of F-15 jets to Israel, the State Department stated that the USA is "committed to Israel's security". It is "in the national interest of the USA to support Israel in developing and maintaining a strong and capable defense capability".
The Commission, which oversees the approval of such military sales, expressed its support for the delivery of F-15 jets to Israel, citing it as being in the national interest of the USA. In response to calls from human rights activists and some Democratic Party members to limit or suspend weapons exports to Israel due to the conflict in Gaza, the Commission maintained its commitment to Israel's security and military capabilities.
