The Biden administration said in Congress on Saturday it had approved the emergency sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition worth more than $106 million to Israel, as Israel intensifies its military operations in the southern Gaza Strip.
The move comes as President Biden's request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security agencies stalls in Congress as it gets bogged down in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security is involved. Some Democratic lawmakers have talked about making proposed $14.3 billion in American aid to their Middle East ally conditional on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to address civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas.
The State Department said it notified Congress of the sale late Friday after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that “an emergency exists requiring the immediate sale” of the ammunition in the interest of U.S. national security.
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That means the purchase circumvents Congress' review requirements for foreign military sales. Such decisions are rare but not unprecedented when governments see an urgent need for arms supplies without waiting for lawmakers' approval.
Israel deploys soldiers, tanks, military aircraft and armored vehicles near the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in Gaza as smoke rises in Gaza, seen from Nahal Oz, Israel, on December 9, 2023. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
“The United States is committed to Israel's security, and it is critical to U.S. national interests to assist Israel in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability. The proposed sale is consistent with these objectives,” the ministry said in a statement. “Israel will use the expanded capabilities to deter regional threats and strengthen its homeland defense.”
The sale is valued at $106.5 million and includes 13,981 120mm high-explosive multipurpose tracer anti-tank rounds as well as U.S. support, engineering and logistics. The material will come from army stocks.
Bypassing Congress with emergency decisions on arms sales is an unusual move that has been met with resistance in the past from lawmakers who typically have a certain amount of time to weigh proposed arms transfers and, in some cases, block them.
In May 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued an emergency order for an $8.1 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have difficulty completing the Addressing lawmakers' concerns about war in Yemen waged by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Pompeo came under intense criticism for the move, which some believed may have broken the law since many of the weapons involved had yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. However, following an internal investigation, he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
At least four governments have used this power since 1979. President George HW Bush's administration used it during the Gulf War to quickly get weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Israel and Hamas at war
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