Biden admin sending USD 1bn more in weapons, ammo to Israel: Congressional aides

The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it would send more than USD 1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel three congressional aides have said But it was not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered Its the first arms shipment to Israel to be revealed since the administration put another arms transfer consisting of 3500 bombs of up to 2000 pounds each on hold this monthThe Biden administration citing concern for civilian casualties in Gaza has said it paused that bomb transfer to keep Israel from using those particular munitions in its offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah The package disclosed Tuesday includes about USD 700 million for tank ammunition USD 500 million in tactical vehicles and USD 60 million in mortar rounds the congressional aides said They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made publicThere was no immediate indication of when the arms would be sent Two congressional aides said the shipment is not part of the longdelayed foreign aid package that Congress passed and Biden signed last month It wasnt known if the shipment was the latest tranche from an existing arms sale or something new The Biden administration has come under criticism from both sides of the political spectrum over its military support for Israels now sevenmonthold war against Hamas in Gaza at a time when Biden is battling for reelection against former President Donald TrumpSome of Bidens fellow Democrats have pushed him to limit transfers of offensive weapons to Israel to pressure the US ally to do more to protect Palestinian civilians Protests on college campuses around the US have driven home the message this spring Republican lawmakers have seized on the administrations pause on the bomb transfers saying any lessening of US support for Israel its closest ally in the Middle East weakens that country as it fights Hamas and other Iranbacked groups In the House they are planning to advance a bill this week to mandate the delivery of offensive weaponry for IsraelDespite the onetime suspension of a bomb shipment Biden and administration officials have made clear they will continue other weapons deliveries and overall military support to Israel which is the largest recipient of US military aid Biden will see to it that Israel has all of the military means it needs to defend itself against all of its enemies including Hamas national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters MondayFor him this is very straightforward Hes going to continue to provide Israel with all of the capabilities it needs but he does not want certain categories of American weapons used in a particular type of operation in a particular place And again he has been clear and consistent with that The Wall Street Journal first reported the plans for the USD 1 billion weapons package to IsraelIn response to House Republicans plan to move forward with a bill to mandate the delivery of offensive weapons for Israel the White House said on Tuesday that Biden would veto the bill if it were to pass Congress The bill has practically no chance in the Democraticcontrolled Senate But House Democrats are somewhat divided on the issue and roughly two dozen have signed onto a letter to the Biden administration saying they were deeply concerned about the message sent by pausing the bomb shipmentOne of the letters signers New York Rep Ritchie Torres said he would likely vote for the bill despite the White Houses opposition I have a general rule of supporting proIsrael legislation unless it includes a poison pill like cuts to domestic policy he said In addition to the written veto threat the White House has been in touch with various lawmakers and congressional aides about the legislation according to an administration officialWe strongly strongly oppose attempts to constrain the Presidents ability to deploy US security assistance consistent with US foreign policy and national security objectives White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre said this week adding that the administration plans to spend every last cent appropriated by Congress in the national security supplemental package that was signed into law by Biden last monthThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever