The Biden administration is moving ahead with plans to send another $1 billion in weapons and ammo to Israel, according to numerous reports citing congressional officials.
The move comes just days after the White House paused a shipment of bombs, citing concerns for civilians in the Gaza city of Rafah. The new package reportedly includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds.
It was not immediately clear when the shipment would be sent, but officials cited by The Wall Street Journal said “additional steps” would need to be taken before the weapons shipment could be approved.
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President Joe Biden threatened last week to withhold arms shipments to Israel if its military attacks certain areas of Rafah, where thousands of Palestinian civilians have moved to seek shelter from Israel’s war against Hamas. “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah—they haven’t gone in Rafah yet—if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities—that deal with that problem,” Biden told CNN last week.
He added at the time that his administration was still committed to Israel’s security but wanted to protect civilians. “We’re not walking away from Israel’s security. We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas,” he said.
With National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan due to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia this weekend, one U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Tuesday that Israel had apparently been responsive to Biden’s concerns, promising not to take any drastic actions in Rafah without notifying Washington.
