US sells arms to Israel for over twenty billion dollars

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden's administration approved the sale of arms to Israel worth more than twenty billion dollars on Tuesday, rejecting pressure from human rights activists to stop arms deliveries due to the number of casualties in Gaza, AFP reported.

The sale comes as Biden has been pressing Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire after ten months of bloodshed, although the weapons would take years to reach Israel.

In a notification to Congress, the State Department said it had approved the sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel for $18.82 billion. Israel will also purchase nearly 33,000 tank shells, up to 50,000 mortar rounds, and new military trucks.

The F-15 aircraft, which will begin delivery in 2029, will upgrade Israel's current fleet and include radar and secure communication equipment.

"The United States is committed to Israel's security, and it is vital to US national interests to help Israel develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability," the State Department said in its notification regarding the F-15 aircraft, manufactured by Boeing.

The US Congress can block arms sales, but such a process is difficult.

Human rights groups and some left-leaning members of Biden's Democratic Party have called on the administration to curb or halt arms sales to Israel due to civilian casualties in Gaza. Josh Paul, who resigned from the State Department last year in protest of policies in Gaza, said Israel had given the United States no reason to believe it was moving away from "absolute brutality".

On Saturday, rescuers in the Gaza Strip announced that 93 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced Palestinians. Israel said it targeted militants operating from the school. Biden administration officials have expressed concern over civilian deaths and declined to comment on whether US weapons were used.

In a speech to Congress last month, which was boycotted by many Democrats, Netanyahu urged the US to expedite military aid, saying it would "dramatically accelerate the end of the war in Gaza".