Just one week after President Joe Biden said he would withhold a weapons shipment if Israel launched an offensive against Rafah, the Biden administration announced its approval of a$ 1 billion weapon shipment to Israel.
According to independent reporting from the Washington Examiner, the presidency made the announcement to Congress on Tuesday.
Officials told the Wall Street Journal that the package includes offensive weapons, including$ 700 million in tank ammunition,$ 500 million in tactical vehicles, and$ 60 million in mortar rounds. More steps must be taken before the arms are approved and delivered.
Federal safety director John Kirby, who spoke with reporters last month, foreshadowed the move.
“ Biden ] also stated yesterday that he would continue to make sure that Israel has the military resources to fight off all of its enemies, including Hamas,” he added. For him, the situation is very straightforward: He’s going to continue to give Israel all the resources it needs, but he does n’t want specific types of American weapons to be used in a particular kind of operation in a particular location. And afterwards, he has been clear and consistent with that”.
Kirby added that Israel has not yet launched a Rafah activity that crosses Biden’s dark line. If Israel expanded its operations into Rafah, where Palestinian refugees have flocked to because of the war, Biden declared last week that he would deny certain 2, 000-pound bombs from the country.
Israel launched an offensive into Rafah next week, and it has since continued with ground attacks and attacks. It’s unclear what Biden’s crimson line regarding Rafah is.
House Speaker Mike Johnson ( R- LA ) signaled that the lower chamber was satisfied with Biden’s action.
He told reporters on Tuesday evening,” I do n’t think we’ll be changing what we do with the legislation because it’s important for us to express once more the will of Congress on it.”
Biden is likely to lose the kindness he received from liberal Democratic allies following his statement that offensive weapons may be withheld, which in turn drew ire from Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats as a result of Tuesday’s decision to approve another significant weapons shipment.
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During Israel’s strategy in Gaza, Biden has attempted to balance the passions of pro-Israel Democrats with the vehement criticism of pro-Palestine Democrats. The Biden presidency has frequently warned Israel of the effects of the war of Rafah, which has become a new battlefield.
Naomi Lim and Cami Mondeaux contributed to this article.
