Israel’s protections are getting a new boost. The United States approved on Tuesday the sale of more than $20 billion in weapons to its Israeli ally, including F-15 fighter jets and nearly 33,000 rounds of tank ammunition. The State Department said in a notification to Congress that the sale would “enhance Israel’s ability to confront current and future enemy threats.”
The announcement comes as the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas enters its 11th month and US President Joe Biden pushes for a ceasefire.
The sale includes 50 F-15 fighter jets worth $18.82 billion, nearly 33,000 tank munitions and 50,000 mortar rounds. These deliveries will take years: the F-15s, equipped with secure radar and communications equipment, will not begin to be delivered until 2029.
Delivery for 2029
These deliveries will take years: the F-15s, equipped with radars and secure communications equipment, will not begin to be delivered until 2029.
Regarding the tank ammunition, the State Department argued that it will allow Israel “to strengthen its internal defense and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
Human rights groups and some Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to reduce or halt arms sales to Israel, which is engaged in a bloody war in Gaza that has killed at least 39,929 people, according to data from the Hamas-run Gaza government’s health ministry. Congress could theoretically block the arms sale, but such a move is unlikely to succeed.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and considers a terrorist organisation along with the United States and the European Union, after the October 7 attack on its soil that killed 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.