Chicago – December 31, 2023
The administration of US President Joe Biden has again circumvented Congress to approve an emergency weapons sale to Israel, which has only intensified and widened its attacks on the Gaza Strip despite mounting international condemnation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress on Friday that he had made a second emergency determination in less than a month, involving a $147.5 million transfer of equipment to Israel.
The package includes ancillary equipment such as fuses, charges, and primers that Israel would need to operate the 155mm rounds it had already purchased.
The unusual emergency declaration on Friday, which at least four prior US administrations have used, means potentially protracted legislative scrutiny of foreign military sales will be avoided.
Providing weaponry to Israel for it to continue its aggressive phase of the conflict while also asking it to reduce the intensity of battle is “strategically self-defeating” for Washington.
