Joe Biden’s Government has decided to skip the congressional review for the sale of some 14,000 tank shells to Israel. To this end, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has invoked an emergency declaration “in the interest of the national security of the United States” contemplated in the Arms Export Control Act. as explained this Saturday by the Pentagon in a statement. Blinken informed Congress that he was proceeding with this urgent sale of ammunition to Israel on the same day that the United States vetoed a UN resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire.
The Department of Defense explains that the acquisition is 13,981 M830A1 120 millimeter caliber high-explosive projectiles. The total estimated cost of these cartridges is 106.5 million dollars (about 99 million euros). That ammunition is used in Israel’s Merkava tanks, deployed in its offensive in Gaza, which has killed thousands of civilians.
The item is part of a larger order worth more than 500 million dollars (465 million euros) that includes 45,000 projectiles of this type. That request was being reviewed by Congress. However, Blinken informed the legislature late on Friday that he was proceeding with the export of the 14,000 projectiles because “there is an emergency that requires immediate sale.”
“The United States is committed to Israel’s security, and it is vital to American national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. The proposed sale is consistent with those objectives,” the Pentagon maintains in its statement. “Israel will use this improved capability as a deterrent against regional threats and to reinforce its national defense,” he adds, also indicating that the ammunition comes from the army’s inventory and that its shipment will not have “any adverse impact” on the defense of the United States. Joined.
Other precedents
The State Department has made use of that emergency exception on several occasions when selling weapons to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The Biden Administration had not invoked it for any arms exports to the Middle East. The last time the clause was used for an operation in the region was for the shipment of arsenals in 2019 to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, with Donald Trump as president and Mike Pompeo as secretary of State. That sale without congressional review raised strong criticism. It was an $8.1 billion (€7.5 billion) operation and, despite claiming an emergency, much of the weapons were not even manufactured.
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Washington has recently reinforced its messages that Israel must comply with international humanitarian law and take all possible measures to minimize civilian casualties. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, and in the call he emphasized the need to protect the population, including through corridors that allow people to move safely from defined areas of hostilities. She also stressed that much more humanitarian aid is urgently needed in all areas.
However, the United States imposed its veto power in the United Nations (UN) Security Council this Friday to prevent the approval of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire that would facilitate the delivery of urgent aid. The operation to sell high-powered projectiles also contrasts with these calls to respect international law and minimize victims.
Biden has faced criticism from within his own party for his support of Israel. The urgent procurement of projectiles comes as the nearly $106 billion (€98 billion) aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security issues is stuck in Congress. Some Democratic congressmen have talked about making the $14.3 billion in aid to Israel included in that package subject to concrete measures by the Netanyahu government to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. For now, the sale of ammunition does not include those types of conditions.
The Israeli army has intensified its attacks in the Strip in recent days, targeting hundreds daily. The death toll from the Israeli attacks exceeds 17,000, although it is difficult to pinpoint the figure. Since December 1, when a week of ceasefire ended, more than 2,500 Palestinians have died, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
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