Our top story this hour, the United States, its government has bypassed a congressional review. It has used an emergency authority to allow the sale of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel. This move, it indicates Washington’s undeterred support to Israel, amid its continued offensive in Gaza.
The US State Department on Friday used an arms control, export control act, emergency declaration for the tank rounds worth $106.5 million for immediate delivery to Israel, as per the Pentagon. However, the Biden administration has been pushing for an even bigger sale for Congress to approve. The larger package, it’s worth more than $500 million. It includes 45,000 shells for Israel’s Merkava tanks. These tanks are regularly deployed in its offensive in Gaza, which has killed thousands so far.
The latest move comes as the Biden administration has found it increasingly difficult to pass foreign funding packages in a divided US Congress where the House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans and Democrats hold the Senate. Earlier on Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked an effort to provide more funding for Ukraine to fight its war against Russia in a bill that also included funding for Israel and Taiwan. Us State Department has justified the bypass of congressional review as it says an emergency exists for an immediate say .
Just a day before, US vetoed a UNSC resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. However, military aid to Israel also comes amid an increased pressure by the United States on Israel to protect the civilians in Gaza. Meanwhile, Washington has also highlighted that there’s a gap between Israel’s promises to protect civilians and the outcome.
US To Send More Weapons to Israel
Israel is very fearful that Hezbollah was going to enter the war with Hamas. Hamas mounted a lot of pressure on Hezbollah to join the war on October seventh. I think that everyone’s a little bit surprised that Hezbollah did not join the war. There’s all kinds of thoughts and intelligence on why that may be. The reason is likely that Hisbala is scared that it’ll drag Lebanon into a war that will then make it lose favor in Lebanon. But in Israel, there is this growing fear that there appeared to be previously this sense of security, the sense that Hisbala and Hamas train a lot on the border, but really they’re never going to attack Israel. All they can do is launch missiles. October seventh blew up in Israel’s face and showed, no, the fact that these organizations are constantly training means they can invade one day. Even if Hamas is, quote-unquote, defeated, Israel is now evacuated up to upwards of 10 kilometers of its settlements near the borders with Lebanon. All the civilians are evacuated out of fear, Lebanon will invade. That’s what they’re saying. Even if Hamas is defeated, Hezbollah now may launch on October seventh from Lebanon tomorrow or in a month. That’s why Israel is saying, even if that happens, they need to deal with what happens with Hezbollah up north in one way or another.
