The newspaper revealed that the new weapons package included more than 1,800 “MK84 2,000-pound” bombs and 500 “MK82 500-pound” bombs, indicating that the 2,000-pound bombs were used during the massacres carried out during the ongoing Israeli occupation. War in the Gaza Strip.
Although Washington has publicly expressed its displeasure with Israel's handling of the war on Gaza, this has not “prevented Biden from providing more weapons and military equipment,” according to the newspaper, which the US Department of Defense has approved for Israel with 25 fighter jets. The F-35E and engines have a financial value of approximately $2.5 billion.
The Washington Post explained that the deal was approved by Congress in 2008, so the State Department does not need to present it to lawmakers before passing it. He revealed that the bombs the Biden administration authorized to deliver to the occupation this week were authorized years ago but have not yet been delivered.
The Washington Post noted that some Democratic representatives in Congress have called for more transparency on arms deals, and suspect that the Biden administration's involvement in previously approved and unimplemented deals is an attempt to avoid notifying Congress about weapons it intends to supply. Israel. , thus avoiding any scrutiny from lawmakers.
The Washington Post said the Biden administration would not make arms deals conditional on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to influence his decisions, adding that Biden's recent stances show he is growing weary with Netanyahu.
It quoted Senator Chris Van Hollen as saying: “The Biden administration needs to use its influence effectively, and I believe they need to do these basic duties before giving the green light to drop more bombs on Gaza,” adding, “We need to back up what we say. What we do. .”
The new arms deal comes a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Washington, where he met with several senior US officials at the White House.
Kelant told Netanyahu and the War Cabinet that significant progress had been made during the mission to introduce a multinational force into the Gaza Strip, consisting of armed groups from three Arab countries in the region.
According to Israeli media, the international force is expected to initially protect humanitarian aid convoys entering Gaza and establish a port in the area.
There are no specific timetables for the implementation of the plan yet, but there is American support and approval to assist in the move, which is directly linked to the so-called “Day” after the war.
The Israeli Defense Ministry has not disclosed the names of the Arab countries participating in the initiative, fearing it could complicate the operation, which comes in the wake of visits by Israeli military and Defense Ministry representatives. Gallant's direction, in full coordination with those countries and the United States.
Under the initiative, the U.S. leads a multinational force responsible for protecting convoys and providing humanitarian aid even when U.S. forces are not in the field. In this way, actors in the field unrelated to the Hamas movement are empowered, leading to a resolution of the increasingly difficult crisis between Tel Aviv and Washington.
