The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the Biden administration is preparing to supply Israel with additional bombs and weapons despite ongoing efforts by the U.S. to secure a cease-fire in Gaza.
Current and former U.S. officials disclosed that the proposed arms delivery includes approximately a thousand each of MK-82 bombs, KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) for precision bombing, and FMU-139 bomb fuses, with an estimated total value in the tens of millions of dollars.
The administration is still internally reviewing the proposed delivery, and details could change before notifying congressional committee leaders for approval. The U.S. State Department, Defense Department, Israel Defense Forces, and Israel Defense Ministry have not yet responded to the report.
Biden (Credits: Bloomberg.com)
Meanwhile, a growing number of U.S. government employees are expressing opposition to continued support for Israel in the conflict. Earlier this month, some staff members staged a hunger strike to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and criticize Biden’s policy toward Israel.
Representatives for Feds United for Peace, a group of several dozen government employees, also organized an office walkout in January over the Gaza crisis.
Recent reports have revealed Biden’s frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he reportedly referred to as “an a**hole” on multiple occasions, describing him as the primary obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
Sources close to the president indicated that Biden feels Netanyahu has been having difficulty in ceasefire negotiations and that he is determined to see a change.
Biden has openly criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza, calling them “over the top” and insisting that the suffering of innocent people must stop.
However, his direct criticism of Israel has been restrained, and as of December 2023, his administration had skipped congressional review of weapons sales to Israel twice.
The Biden administration’s decision to continue supplying arms to Israel has drawn criticism, especially as allegations mount that American-made weapons have been used in attacks that have killed or injured civilians in Gaza.
The conflict in Gaza began when Iran-backed Hamas launched fighters into Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the seizure of 253 hostages, according to Israeli reports.
In response, Israel’s air and ground offensive has devastated much of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 28,775 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry, and displacing nearly all of its more than 2 million inhabitants.
Despite Biden’s caution to Netanyahu against a military operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah without a credible plan to protect the 1.4 million Palestinians sheltering there, Israel’s defense minister has stated that the country is thoroughly planning its promised ground invasion of Rafah. Netanyahu has also rejected international dictates on a long-term resolution to the conflict.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, indicated that Rafah is the next Hamas stronghold that Israel plans to target, though he did not specify when the operation might begin.
Two Israeli airstrikes on Rafah overnight resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people, including nine members of the same family, according to hospital officials and relatives.
