International
Arrijal Rachman, CNBC Indonesia
News
Saturday 30/12/2023 9.00pm WIB
Photo: US President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. (REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The US government continues to sell weapons to Israel without congressional approval. The arms sales to Israel were made under an emergency decree.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress that the administration had made its second emergency decision in less than a month to sell weapons to Israel.
The sale of weapons and various equipment to Israel worth $147.5 million occurred in the context of increasingly intense Israeli attacks against the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip from October 7, 2023 to the present.
“Given the urgency of Israel’s defense needs, Blinken informed Congress that he used his delegated authority to determine that an emergency existed requiring immediate approval of the sale,” the US State Department said , reported by Al Jazeera, Saturday (12/30/2023).
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is important to US national interests to ensure that Israel is able to defend itself from the threats it faces,” the US State Department wrote.
The weapons were sold to Israel in packages, including ancillary items, including fuses, magazines and primers that Israel needed to operate the 155 mm projectiles it had previously purchased.
An Al Jazeera report from Washington says Israel will also purchase 155mm M107 shells, which are artillery shells that would cause widespread destruction in densely populated areas such as Gaza.
On December 9, the government made another emergency decision to approve the sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million to Israel.
The emergency decision comes as Biden’s request for a $106 billion package that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs has not yet been approved by Congress. Congress is embroiled in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security.
Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested that further significant aid to Israel should be based on real promises from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
More than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed in besieged Gaza since October 7, the vast majority of whom were children and women. Thousands of other people were reported missing.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said Israeli authorities continued to impose “strict restrictions” on humanitarian access despite aid deliveries from Egypt and through the Rafah crossing.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has again warned that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could spread to other regions if it is not stopped immediately.
Watch the video below:
Video: Israel razed Rafah
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2023-12-30 14:00:00
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