The US “discreetly” authorizes the transfer of millions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel

USA has authorized “in secret” the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and planes fight against Israelsaid a Washington Post report, even as Washington publicly expresses concern about an expected Israeli military offensive in Rafah.

The military equipment includes more than 1,800 2,000-pound MK84 bombs and 500 500-pound MK82 bombs, Pentagon and State Department officials, who prefer anonymity because this new transfer was not public, have told the newspaper said.

This package is in addition to the one approved last week worth $2.5 billion and included the delivery of engines and 25 F-35A fighters in accordance with a proposal that Congress approved in 2008, so it was also not necessary. authorization.

The MK84 bombs have been directly linked to some of the most serious incidents of civilian casualties during Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

In fact, these types of bombs, which can destroy an entire building and leave craters with a diameter and depth of more than twelve meters, are never used by Western armies in densely populated areas due to the high risk of civilian casualties. However, Israel has used them liberally in the Gaza Strip and as a result, more than 140 people were killed in a bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp on October 31, according to UN estimates.

External and internal pressure

The decision follows a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week, where he discussed Israel’s weapons needs with his American counterparts.

This week, too, there were disagreements between Israel and the US, after the US did not use its veto but abstained from voting in the UN Security Council, which for the first time adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire fires in the Gaza Strip. According to the prime minister, the US action is “a clear withdrawal from its constant position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war” over Israel in Gaza.

Internally, some members of President Joe Biden’s party have called on him to cut U.S. military aid, and Arab-American groups have criticized the Biden administration’s strong support for Israel, which they say creates a sense of impunity.

Last Friday, Biden acknowledged “the pain that many Arab Americans feel” over the war in Gaza and over the United States’ support for Israel and its military offensive. Yet he has vowed to continue supporting Israel despite increasingly open disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.