White House asked State Department and Pentagon to provide list of upcoming arms transfers to Israel, Axios reported citing four US officials, amid growing scrutiny of the Biden administration’s military support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
U.S. officials told Axios that the request does not mean Washington plans to suspend future arms transfers to Israel or change course on its current military assistance policy.
An official told the news site that one reason for the request was to verify it with a list provided by Israel, to ensure that the Biden administration prioritized the arms transfer requested by Israel.
Axios further reported that this was the first time the White House had made such a request since October 7, when the Hamas-led attack in the south of the country Israel led to the start of the war in Gaza.
It also comes amid increased scrutiny of US arms transfers and broader military and diplomatic support for Israel’s war in Gaza, where the Israeli military attack has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, the majority of them Palestinians. women and children.
Stay informed with MEE newsletters
Sign up to receive the latest alerts, information and analysis,
starting with Turkey Unpacked
starting with Turkey Unpacked
Just days after October 7, Josh Paul, the top State Department official overseeing arms transfers, resigned from his post, citing a lack of proper oversight in the handling of military assistance to Israel.
This week, more than 30 lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden, calling on him to urge Israel not to launch an invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah, saying such a move by the military Israeli would violate US law requiring that US military aid be used in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had delivered more than 100 different shipments of military assistance to Israel since October. None of the transactions required notification to Congress because they fell below a certain dollar threshold.
Lawmakers also highlighted a new national security memorandum that was signed into law last month, which requires any recipient of U.S. military aid to provide “credible and reliable written assurances” that it will comply with international law.
The Biden administration has asked Israel to provide a signed letter containing these assurances by mid-March, according to Axios. If these assurances are not provided, US arms transfers should be suspended.
The war in Gaza began on October 7 when Hamas carried out an attack on southern Israel that killed 1,139 people, according to an official figure reported by AFP. At least 240 people were also taken hostage.
Israel responded by imposing a total siege on Gaza, which included cutting off Gaza’s water supply, and also launched a campaign of indiscriminate aerial bombardment. A few weeks later, he launched a ground invasion of Gaza.
In addition to Israel killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, the military campaign has also destroyed entire residential neighborhoods, targeted hospitals and mosques, and killed medical staff and journalists.
