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Trump administration approves USD 3 billion arms sale to Israel amid ongoing Gaza conflict
The Trump administration, for the second time in February, invoked an emergency to fast-track weapons sales to Israel, with Biden also using emergency powers.
The Trump administration has approved a nearly USD 3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing the usual congressional review process, to provide the country with more 2,000-pound bombs used in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department confirmed its approval of a sale valued at USD 2.04 billion, including over 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs, as well as 4,000 Predator warheads.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defence articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department said.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin next year, the department said.
Using the same rationale, it also mentioned that Rubio had authorised another munitions sale to Israel worth USD 675.7 million, with deliveries set for 2028.
It also added that Rubio had approved an emergency sale of D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers valued at USD 295 million.
Friday's announcements marked the second time this month that the Trump administration has invoked an emergency to fast-track weapons sales to Israel. Similarly, the Biden administration also used emergency powers to approve arms sales to Israel without congressional review.
On Monday, the Trump administration reversed a Biden-era directive that required reporting potential violations of international law involving U.S.-supplied weapons by allies, including Israel. It also removed most U.S. humanitarian foreign aid.
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas last month ended 15 months of fighting, opening the door for talks to end the war. The deal also resulted in the release of 44 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel.
However, both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire, raising concerns over the second phase of the agreement, which was supposed to include further releases of hostages and prisoners, along with steps towards a permanent resolution of the conflict.
With AP, Reuters inputs
