The U.S. government has approved a new weapon transfer to Israel worth $20 billion, despite concerns about Israeli forces repeatedly violating international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The State Department announced on Tuesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had authorized the sale of weapons, which includes dozens of fighter jets along with tank ammunition and air-to-air missiles.
“America is committed to Israel’s security, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel in developing and maintaining a strong and capable self-defense capability,” the State Department stated in a release. This announcement comes as Israel prepares for expected retaliation from Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah following the killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah officials, raising fears of a potential regional war. However, the U.S. has stated that it is working to avert such an escalation.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that an Iranian retaliation might be avoided if a ceasefire agreement can be reached to end the war in Gaza, where Israeli forces have reportedly killed nearly 40,000 people, mainly women and children, and have razed entire neighborhoods while blocking humanitarian aid.
Critics have urged the Biden administration to halt the arms transfers to Israel, claiming that it makes the U.S. complicit in the destruction of Gaza. They argue that these transfers are a crucial source of power that the administration has refused to leverage in its efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted will continue.
Despite reports that Israeli forces systematically violate international law and commit abuses such as torture, the flow of weapons continues. This is happening despite requirements under U.S. law stating that military units credibly accused of serious human rights violations must be barred from support.
In a meeting at the United Nations on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield stated that the U.S. goal in the region is to “lower the temperature.” “It starts with finalizing an agreement for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. We need to get this over the finish line,” she remarked in comments to the UN Security Council.